Russia Claims U.S. Warship Tried To Violate Its Territorial Waters In Sea Of Japan

(Article text ©2021 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - rferl.org - Steve Gutterman - Oct. 15, 2021 - article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russia-us-warship-chafee-japan/31512034.html

Russia claims one of its warships has chased away a U.S. Navy destroyer that, according to Moscow, attempted to enter Russian territorial waters during Russian-Chinese naval drills in the Sea of Japan.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Navy.

The Russian claim on October 15 comes as Moscow’s relations with the United States and its Western allies are at post-Cold War lows -- strained by issues including Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, its role in the conflict in Ukraine, interference in Western elections, and cyberattacks allegedly carried out by Russian hackers.

There has been a series of potentially dangerous close encounters between Russian and NATO warplanes and navy ships in recent years, with NATO accusing Moscow of aggressive maneuvers in the air and at sea.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on October 15 that the Russian vessel Admiral Tributs approached the USS Chafee after it had ignored warnings to leave an area that had been declared off limits due to exercises with artillery fire.

After “making an attempt to cross the Russian sea border,” the U.S. destroyer changed course and sped out of the area at a moment when the two vessels were just 60 meters away from each other, the Russian ministry said.

Moscow said it had summoned the U.S. military attache to protest what it called the “unprofessional actions” of the destroyer's crew.

Earlier, the ministry said Russia and China had held joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan. It said naval forces from the two countries practiced how to operate together and destroy floating sea mines with artillery fire.

It was the second time in four months Moscow has said it chased a warship of a NATO-member state from what it claims are Russian waters.

In June, Russia said it forced away a British destroyer sailing in waters off Ukraine's Crimea region in the Black Sea, claiming the vessel had breached Russian territorial waters.

Britain rejected Moscow's account of that incident, saying its ship was operating lawfully in Ukrainian waters.

Like most of the world, Britain recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine that has been illegally occupied by Russia since Russian military forces seized the peninsula in 2014 and Moscow staged a independence referendum widely condemned as bogus.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and TASS

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File Photo of USS Chafee at Dock