MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. The Russian Pacific Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs thwarted an attempt by a US guided missile destroyer to violate Russia’s state border in the Sea of Japan, the Defense Ministry of Russia reported on Friday.
"Today, at about 5:00 p.m. local time, the US Navy’s destroyer Chafee (DDG-90), which has been operating in the Sea of Japan for several days, approached the territorial waters of the Russian Federation and attempted to cross the state border," the ministry said in a statement.
The Pacific Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs warned the foreign warship of the inadmissibility of such actions and that it was operating in an area closed for shipping due to artillery firings as part of the Russia-China Joint Sea 2021 naval maneuvers, the ministry specified.
"After getting the warning, instead of changing its course to leave the closed area, the destroyer Chafee raised its colors implying that its helicopter was due to take off from its deck, which meant that the course and the speed could not be changed, and took actions to violate the state border of the Russian Federation in the Peter the Great Bay," the statement says.
Following the international rules of the sea, the Admiral Tributs set its course towards chasing the intruder out of Russian territorial waters, the ministry said.
"After becoming convinced of the Russian warship’s resolve to prevent the violation of the state border, the guided missile destroyer Chafee reversed its course at 5:50 p.m. when less than 60 meters were left in its distance from the large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs," it said.
Russia’s top brass branded the actions by the crew of the US guided missile destroyer a gross violation of the international regulations for preventing collisions at sea and the 1972 Russia-US inter-governmental agreement on preventing incidents at sea and in the airspace.
The Pacific Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs continues accomplishing its assignments in the Sea of Japan, it added.
US guided missile destroyer Chafee
The USS Chafee (DDG-90) is a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer floated out in 2002. The warship can develop a speed of 32 knots and has a crew of 380. As its basic armament, it carries the Aegis 96-cell launching system that can launch various missiles, such as Tomahawks or Standard Missile-3 air defense and anti-ballistic missile defense weapons.
The US warship also carries various artillery armaments and six torpedo tubes. The destroyer’s air group consists of two SH-60 helicopters placed in a helicopter hangar.
Attempts to cross Russia’s state border
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on June 23 that the UK Navy’s guided missile destroyer Defender ventured into the Russian territorial waters off Crimea’s Fiolent Cape in the Black Sea. The Russian forces and border guards opened warning fire along the UK warship’s course, following which it left Russia’s territorial waters. The Russian Defense Ministry slammed the actions by the British warship’s crew as a gross violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
During his annual Q&A session on June 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the incident with the British guided missile destroyer Defender off Crimea was a complex provocation "that was staged not only by the British but also by the Americans." The Russian leader added that the Defender pursued reconnaissance goals when it ventured into Russia’s territorial waters in the Black Sea.