(AP) The Russian military says its warship has fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs to force a British destroyer from Russia’s waters near Crimea in the Black Sea.
Wednesday’s incident marks the first time since the Cold War era when Moscow used live ammunition to deter a NATO warship, reflecting soaring Russia-West tensions. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian warship fired warning shots after the British missile destroyer Defender had ignored a notice against intrusion in Russia’s territorial waters. It said a Russian Su-24 bomber also dropped bombs ahead of the British ship to persuade it to change course.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move that wasn’t recognized by most countries of the world.