DISINFO: UK warship violated Russian territorial waters
SUMMARY
On June 23, the British destroyer HMS Defender crossed the Russian maritime boundary in the Black Sea, in close proximity to the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. In order to prevent the violation of the state border of Russia and the invasion of an unfriendly warship into the territorial waters, the border patrol ship of the FSB of Russia opened artillery fire at the course of the British destroyer, which later left. The maritime area in which the incident took place belongs to Russia after a legal referendum took place in Crimea in 2014 with which the people of the region decided to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the status of Crimea.
On 23 June 2021, the UK Ministry of Defence Press Office stated that "the Royal Navy ship [was] conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law."
The UK Secretary of State for Defence added that the ship "carried out a routine transit from Odessa towards Georgia across the Black Sea" through internationally recognised Ukrainian territorial waters.
The UK Ministry of Defence also denied the claims that the HMS Defender has been fired on.
Russia occupied Crimea in March 2014. No international body has recognised the so-called referendum in Crimea, not the UN, nor the EU or the UK.
The European Union does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, which remains a challenge to the international security order. UNGA Resolution 68/262, which condemned Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine, was supported by 100 United Nations member states. Only 10 states opposed it. European Council conclusions on external relations of 24 June 2021 "call on Russia to fully assume its responsibility in ensuring the full implementation of the Minsk agreements as the key condition for any substantial change in the EU’s stance".
The UK's Ambassador Neil Bush mentioned at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in March 2021 that Crimea was blatantly occupied by the Russian military "in violation of its OSCE principles and commitments."
See similar disinformation cases about the occupation of Crimea in our database: the Crimea issue is finally closed; Crimea - peacefully and legitimately - became part of Russia; Russia occupied Crimea to keep NATO ships out; the coup d'etat of Maidan caused a referendum that united Crimea with Russia.