U.S., Russia blame each other after warships nearly collide

An American warship came within 100 feet of colliding into a Russian destroyer in the western Pacific Ocean on Friday, the U.S. Navy said, leaving the two countries to snipe about who was at fault.

The Navy said in a statement that its cruiser, the USS Chancellorsville, was followed close behind by the Russian ship, requiring it to maneuver away to avoid a crash.

“We consider Russia’s actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional,” the Navy said in the statement, “and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea ... and internationally recognized maritime customs.” The Navy also shared a pair of videos of the incident on its YouTube account.

The Russian Pacific Fleet’s press service countered with its own account.

“The US cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed its course and crossed the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer’s course some 50 meters away from the ship,” the press service said, according to state-run news agency Tass.

Commander Clayton Doss, U.S. 7th Fleet spokesman, told Reuters that Russia’s account was “propaganda.”

The incident follows another disagreement between Washington and Moscow after alleged unsafe air intercepts of an American aircraft by a Russian plane Tuesday.