MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. The United States and the United Kingdom tried to hijack Russia’s coast guard system by way of their provocation with a destroyer in the Black Sea, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.

According to him, Washington and London fully understood the consequences of such actions and realized the nature of Moscow’s reaction. "And still, they attempted to test our resolve to respond by force if necessary, and tried to hijack our coast guard system and the system of control over our waters," the senior diplomat said. "It is clear that they tried to achieve numerous goals with this, which is lamentable."

"I hope that the British admiralty, Downing Street, the Pentagon, and the White House have learned something from this escalation," he stated.

Ryabkov also mentioned the Sea Breeze 2021 international drills that "attracted the attention" of Moscow. "We are ready to push back against any opportunist," he stressed. "But we warn that it would be better to keep the Black Sea peaceful instead of trying to heat up revanchist sentiments shared by a significant part of the Kiev leadership. The UK and the US are doing it on purpose to nurture these illusions of revenge in Kiev. We see right through it."