"After a warning went out into neutral waters": Russian ship stopped violation of the border by a US Navy destroyer

The American destroyer John S. McCain violated the territorial border of Russia in the Peter the Great Gulf.

The press service of the Ministry of Defense reported.

"Today at 6:17 Moscow time, the US Navy destroyer John S. McCain, which has been in the Sea of ​​Japan for several days, violated the territorial waters of the Russian Federation in the Peter the Great Gulf, going two kilometers beyond the maritime border," the message says. departments.

After that, the large anti-submarine ship of the Pacific Fleet "Admiral Vinogradov", which carried out direct tracking of the destroyer, warned the crew of the American ship "about the inadmissibility of such actions and the possibility of using a ramming maneuver to displace the violation."

“After the warning received and the change of course by the large anti-submarine ship of the Pacific Fleet Admiral Vinogradov, the American ship immediately went into neutral waters for the destroyer John S. McCain.

The US destroyer did not make repeated attempts to enter them, ”the Russian military explained.

It is noted that "Admiral Vinogradov" continues to perform tasks in the immediate vicinity of the American warship, and the corvette "Perfect" is also sent to this area.

Peter the Great Bay is located in the south of Primorsky Krai.

On its shores are Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Bolshoy Kamen, Fokino and the largest Russian Pacific port of Vostochny.

The length of the bay from north to south is 80 km, in the widest part it reaches 200 km.

The coastline is 1,500 km long, and the total area is 9,000 km.

The American side later explained the maneuvers of the destroyer John S. McCain with an operation to "ensure freedom of navigation."

The statement published by the command of the US 7th Fleet says that in this way it expressed disagreement with the Russian statement that “Peter the Great Bay is a historical bay in accordance with international law.

The United States said that "the USSR tried to appropriate a much larger area of ​​internal waters, as well as the territorial sea further from the coast, than they have the right in accordance with international law."

“Russia has continued the policy of the USSR in this matter.

Through this operation, the United States demonstrated that these waters are not Russia's territorial sea and that the United States does not recognize Russia's claim that Peter the Great Gulf is a “historic gulf” under international law, ”the US 7th Fleet said in a statement.

Military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, commenting on the incident in the Peter the Great Gulf, noted that it was a violation of the state border.

“This was a violation of Russian territorial waters, and they (the USA -

) know this ... They are the only ones who do not recognize our sovereignty over the Peter the Great Bay, as well as other water areas, and not only Russian ones.

Unfortunately, the Americans will still do as they see fit, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

Litovkin drew attention to the fact that the United States declared about "ensuring freedom of navigation", but for these purposes a non-civilian ship was used.

"If this is a civilian vessel, please come in, announce it ... and then you will be allowed through, but no one is allowed to violate the territorial waters," the expert concluded.

Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, an employee of the Center for Political Studies of Russia, believes that such situations do not add positive to Russian-American relations.

At the same time, the expert drew attention to the nature of the Russian reaction to the incident.

“Russia is ready to act actively at all sites and not give in.

This is the Russian strategy - to respond in kind.

And for B-52 flights along our borders, we send our bombers to the British airbase, and to find ships, ”Kozyulin told RT.

Note that the United States systematically conducts "operations to ensure freedom of navigation" at various points around the world.

The destroyer John S. McCain was already involved in a similar incident at sea, when a US ship approached the disputed Spratly archipelago, which China considers to be its territory, in 2017.

The PRC authorities then strongly condemned the incident in the South China Sea.

In an official statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry regarding this case, it was said that the destroyer entered the designated area without the permission of the PRC government and carried out a so-called operation to ensure freedom of navigation.

In response, China sent warships to the islands to identify and verify the American vessel, as well as to alert him to leave the territorial waters.