U.S. disputes warship claim
Russia: American vessel ignored warnings to leave
Russia’s Defense Ministry said a Russian warship on Friday prevented a U.S. Navy destroyer from what it described as an attempt to intrude into Russia’s territorial waters in the Sea of Japan.
Hours later, U.S. Indopacific Command called the Russian statement false and said the ships’ interaction was “safe and professional.”
The incident came as Russia and China conducted joint naval drills in the area, and followed other dangerously close encounters involving Russian and Western warships. It appears to reflect Moscow’s intention to raise the stakes in deterring the U.S. and its allies from sending their ships on missions near Russian waters, as relations between Russia and the West are at a postcold War low.
The ministry said the Russian navy’s Admiral Tributs destroyer approached the U.S. destroyer USS Chafee to chase it out of the area near Russian waters that was declared off limits to shipping due to the gunnery drills there as part of the Russia-china maneuvers.
It said the Russian vessel came close to the U.S. warship after it had ignored repeated warnings to leave the area in the Peter the Great Gulf. The ministry charged that after making “an attempt to cross the Russian sea border,” the U.S. warship changed course when the two ships were just 66 yards away from each other and sped away.
In a statement, U.S. Indo-pacific Command said the Chafee was conducting routine operations in international waters when the Russian destroyer came within about 65 yards of the Chafee as it was preparing for flight operations. It added that although Russia had issued a Notice to Airmen and Mariners to avoid that area for a period later in the day, the notice was not in effect at the time.
“At all times, USS Chafee conducted operations in accordance with international law and custom,” the U.S. statement said.
The Russian statement denounced the U.S. destroyer’s maneuvers as a “crude violation” of international rules on averting ships’ collision and a 1972 agreement between Moscow and Washington on preventing air and naval incidents and summoned the U.S. military attache to protest what it described as its crew’s “unprofessional action.”