KYIV, Ukraine — When the British destroyer H.M.S. To Russia, however, which claims those waters as part of its territory, the ship’s course was an intolerable provocation. The conflicting narratives erupted into an international incident after the Russian Navy claimed it had fired warning shots at the British destroyer and dropped bombs in an effort to make it alter course. The British government promptly denied both claims, and said that the Russians had merely been conducting naval exercises nearby. And things might have ended there, except that a BBC correspondent, Jonathan Beale, happened to be on board the Defender and published video footage showing as many as 20 Russian warplanes buzzing the ship and a Russian Coast Guard vessel drawing close alongside.

Source: New York Times June 24, 2021 16:41 UTC