Russia says it pushed US destroyer from area near its waters

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Defense Ministry said a Russian warship connected Friday prevented a U.S. Navy destroyer from what it described arsenic an effort to intrude into Russia’s territorial waters successful the Sea of Japan.

The incidental came arsenic Russia and China conducted associated naval drills successful the area, and follows different adjacent encounters involving Russian and Western warships.

The ministry said that the Russian navy’s Admiral Tributs destroyer intimately approached the U.S. destroyer USS Chafee to unit it retired of the country adjacent Russian waters that was declared disconnected limits to shipping owed to the Russian artillery drills there.

It said the Russian vessel came adjacent to the U.S. warship aft it had ignored repeated warnings to permission the country successful the Peter the Great Gulf. After “making an effort to transverse the Russian oversea border,” the U.S. warship changed people erstwhile the 2 ships were conscionable 60 meters (66 yards) distant from each different and sped away, the ministry said.

It charged that the U.S. destroyer’s maneuvers represented a “crude violation” of the planetary rules connected averting ships’ collision and a 1972 statement betwixt Moscow and Washington connected preventing aerial and naval incidents.

In June, Russia said 1 of its warships fired informing shots and a warplane dropped bombs successful the way of British destroyer Defender to thrust it distant from waters adjacent the Crimean metropolis of Sevastopol. Britain denied that account, insisted its vessel wasn’t fired upon and said it was sailing successful Ukrainian waters.

Russia’s relations with the West person sunk to the lowest levels since the Cold War, pursuing Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, accusations of Russian interference with elections, hacking attacks and different tensions.