A Russian Navy ship thwarted an attempt by a US destroyer to violate the Russian state border in the Sea of ​​Japan.

This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The department clarified that the US Navy destroyer Chafee, which has been in the Sea of ​​Japan for several days, approached the territorial waters of Russia and tried to cross the state border.

The large anti-submarine ship "Admiral Tributs" of the Pacific Fleet via the international communication channel warned the destroyer about the inadmissibility of its actions.

The US vessel was also notified that it is in an area closed to navigation in connection with the artillery firing as part of the ongoing joint Russian-Chinese exercise Maritime Interaction 2021.

“After the warning received, the destroyer Chafee, instead of changing its course to leave the closed area, raised its color flags indicating preparation for takeoff from the helicopter deck, which means that it was impossible to change course and speed, and took action to violate the state border of the Russian Federation in the Peter the Great Gulf” , - the message says.

After that, "Admiral Tributs" "took a course to oust the American vessel from Russian territorial waters."

The department emphasized that the Russian vessel operated within the framework of international navigation rules.

“The destroyer URO Chafee, convinced of the determination of the Russian ship's crew not to violate the state border, changed direction and at 17:50 turned back on the opposite course, when the Admiral Tributs was less than 60 meters away,” the Defense Ministry said.

The ministry called the actions of the destroyer crew a gross violation of the International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea, as well as the Russian-American intergovernmental agreement on the prevention of incidents on the high seas and in the airspace above it in 1972.

After the incident, the department called the US military attaché.

"The representative of the US Armed Forces was informed of the position of the Russian military department in connection with an attempt by the US Navy destroyer Chafee to violate the state border of the Russian Federation in the Peter the Great Gulf on October 15," RIA Novosti quoted the agency as saying. 

The attaches pointed to the unprofessional actions of the American sailors, who grossly violated the rules for preventing collisions of ships at sea.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the incident with the destroyer.

"It is better to contact the US Navy with this question," RIA Novosti told RIA Novosti in response to a request to comment on the situation.

Anatoly Kuznetsov, editor-in-chief of the publishing house Morskie Vesti Rossii, called the actions of the American destroyer a provocation on the air of Sputnik radio.

The expert also noted that the actions of the American crew could entail serious consequences. 

“We can say that by such actions the United States is probing our defenses, our forces and means that we can deploy in case of emergencies related to penetration through state borders or an attack on our Pacific Fleet,” he said.

In the Sea of ​​Japan, the Russian-Chinese exercises "Maritime Interaction - 2021" are being held, during which the crews of the ships will practice joint tactical maneuvering, mine countermeasures for detachments, as well as conduct artillery fire, and search for and block the submarine of the imaginary enemy. 

British destroyer incident

On June 23, the Black Sea Fleet and the FSB Border Service responded to the violation of the Russian state border by the British destroyer Defender.

The vessel crossed the border and entered the territorial waters of the Russian Federation in the area of ​​Cape Fiolent for 3 km.

The ship did not respond to warnings.

Border service officers warned the ship's crew about the inadmissibility of violating the border and demanded to change the course, after which they opened warning fire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions of the destroyer a provocation, which was being prepared not only by the British side, but also by the United States.

The President stressed that even before the immediate incident with the ship, an "American strategic reconnaissance aircraft" took off.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that the United States and Britain were thus trying to open the Russian coastal defense system.

In turn, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that attempts to illegally enter the Russian water area will not go unanswered. 

“Every time the Russian state border is violated, the measures that need to be taken will be taken,” said Peskov.

He explained that the border guards will carry out the actions prescribed by them according to the instructions, "all diplomatic tools will also be used."