British Ship Enters Black Sea, Russia: Next We Can Bomb

British destroyer HMS Defender UK. (Wikimedia Commons/L(Phot)Des Wade/MOD)

JAKARTA - Russia issued a stern warning against Britain, following the incident of the destroyer HMS Destroyer in the Black Sea. Russia said it would not rule out bombing British ships if a similar incident were repeated.

Russia reportedly fired warning shots at the British Navy destroyer HMS Defender. Because the warship has crossed the Russian border in the Black Sea.

According to a report from SputnikNews, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video showing a Russian Su-24M jet flying aboard the destroyer HMS Defender.

Britain said Russia provided an inaccurate report on the incident. No warning shots were fired and no bombs were dropped in the path of the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender

As a result, Russia summoned the British Ambassador in Moscow Deborah Bronnert to rebuke Britain's dangerous actions in the Black Sea. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused London of "open lies".

"We can ask for common sense, demand respect for international law, and if that doesn't work, we can bomb," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian news agencies.

Ryabkov, referring to the Moscow version of events, in which a Russian plane bombed the path of a British destroyer, said in the future bombs would be delivered not only on their path, but also on target.

The Black Sea has been projecting Russian power in the Mediterranean and for centuries has been a sensitive point with Turkey, France, Britain, and the United States.

In London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the British warship, which was traveling from the Ukrainian port of Odessa to the Georgian port of Batumi, was acting in accordance with the law and had been in international waters.

"These are Ukrainian waters and it's entirely appropriate to use them from A to B," Johnson said.

Reaffirming PM Johnson's remarks, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace accused Russian pilots of maneuvering the aircraft unsafe 500 feet (152 m) over the warship.

"The Royal Navy will always uphold international law and will not accept unlawful interference in a peaceful manner," Wallace said.

To note, the British destroyer HMS Defender visited the Ukrainian port of Odessa this week, where an agreement was signed for the UK to help boost Ukraine's navy.

Russia said the ship had entered 3 km (2 miles) into Russian waters near Cape Fiolent, a landmark on Crimea's southern coast near the port of Sevastopol, the headquarters of the Russian Navy's Black Sea fleet.

Coast guard ships and Sukhoi Su-24M fighter aircraft were deployed to ensure the HMS Defender exits Russian territorial waters.