HMS Defender photographed from a Russian aircraft from the Russian Ministry of Defence.
The Kremlin’s state media platform RT claimed that a British naval destroyer, HMS Defender, entered Russian territorial waters near the illegally occupied Crimean peninsula without authorization on June 23, 2021. According to the report, a Russian naval vessel and aircraft fired “warning shots” at the British ship.
The UK Ministry of Defence contradicted the Russian state media report stating that HMS Defender was not fired upon and that it believed the Russian armed forces were conducting gunnery training exercises nearby.
No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender.
The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law.
— Ministry of Defence Press Office (@DefenceHQPress) June 23, 2021
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that “At 12:06 and 12:08, a border patrol ship fired warning shots…(And) at 12:19, a Su-24m aircraft performed a warning bombing (4 OFAB-250) ahead of the course of the USS Defender.”
According to the UK government, the British destroyer was sailing through an internationally recognized shipping lane off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea after it left the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
Farewell to HMS DEFENDER 🇬🇧
Thank you for a fantastic time in Odesa 🇺🇦
Fair winds and following seas. ⚓🌊#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/xVSGKdNL4X
— UK in Ukraine 🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@UKinUkraine) June 22, 2021
The exaggeration and fabrication of such incidents by the Russian government is not unusual and can be used to provoke a domestic response in support of the Putin regime when needed.
Disinformation, in the context of military and armed conflict, is a common tactic used by the Kremlin. In 2014, the Putin regime falsely claimed that Russian troops were not involved in the armed occupation of Crimea. Known as the “little green men,” Russian troops had illegally removed the national insignia and markings from their uniforms in order to conceal their identity. The Russian government later admitted that its troops had been involved in the invasion and subsequent illegal occupation of Crimea.
In July 2014, a Russian government supplied surface-to-air missile was used by Kremlin-backed terrorists to shoot down a civilian airliner, Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. The Kremlin initially denied involvement and even fabricated evidence to shift blame onto the Ukrainian armed forces. Three of the four suspects tried for the tragedy worked directly for the Russian armed forces and intelligence services. Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia continues to deny involvement and to block international investigations.
Any claims made by the Russian government or state media must always be considered in the context of the Putin regime’s geopolitical and domestic political interests. Russian government claims must be handled with extreme skepticism until verified by journalists not employed by the Russian state or those platforms supported or aligned with it.
