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Black Sea provocation aimed to prop up the myth about Russia’s unpredictability, diplomat

On June 23, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Black Sea Fleet, acting in cooperation with the border guard force of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), stopped a violation of the state border by the destroyer HMS Defender off Crimea's Cape Fiolent

MOSCOW, June 24./TASS/. Provocative actions by the British navy off Crimea were needed to strengthen in the Western information space the myth about Russia’s unpredictability, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Rossiya-1 television on Thursday.

"What is this for? To strengthen in the information and political space of Western countries the myth, that originated also in Brussels, regarding our alleged unpredictability, our alleged threat to this very Western world. This is what these provocative actions are needed for," the diplomat stressed.

On June 23, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Black Sea Fleet, acting in cooperation with the border guard force of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), stopped a violation of the state border by the destroyer HMS Defender off Crimea's Cape Fiolent. The destroyer ventured three kilometers into Russia's territorial waters. A border guard patrol ship fired warning shots and a Sukhoi-24M bomber dropped bombs ahead of the destroyer. After that, the HMS Defender left Russia's territorial waters.

The Russian defense ministry later described the British ship's actions as a gross violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and urged the British side to investigate the crew's actions.

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