Russia claims it had to use an anti-submarine destroyer from its Pacific Fleet to chase an American warship out of its waters, Newsweek reports.
The Russian Defense Ministry alleges that the USS John S. McCain entered the Sea of Japan several days ago and breached its maritime border by just over a mile in the Peter the Great Gulf on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said the crew on board the Admiral Vinogradov warned the U.S. vessel that "such actions were unacceptable" and threatened to drive it out of the waters "in a ramming maneuver," Russian news agency Tass reported.
After issuing the warning, the ministry said Admiral Vinogradov changed its course and the American destroyer "returned to international waters."
The U.S. Pacific Fleet issued a statement that the USS John S. McCain had simply "asserted navigational rights and freedoms," which it noted were recognized in international law "by challenging Russia's excessive maritime claims."
The statement pointed out that in 1984, before the end of the Soviet Union, Moscow had claimed straight baselines along its coasts as internal waters, including one that enclosed the Peter the Great Bay. It said that this means that Moscow actually claimed more territorial waters than it was entitled to.
"This 106-nautical-mile closing line is inconsistent with the rules of international law as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention to enclose the waters of a bay," the statement said. "By conducting this operation, the United States demonstrated that these waters are not Russia's territorial sea and that the United States does not acquiesce in Russia's claim that Peter the Great is a 'historic bay' under international law."
Mathieu Boulègue, research fellow on the Russia and Eurasia Programme at London's Chatham House think tank, told Newsweek that the North Atlantic and North Pacific are becoming areas of tension.
“For Russia, they vindicate the 'besieged fortress' narrative that 'NATO forces are out there to get us.' For NATO, they further the perception that Russia only has hostile intentions and cannot be trusted," he said, adding “freedom of navigation is increasingly harder to ensure, and is no longer a given.”
On Monday, Moscow's Black Sea Fleet tracked the American destroyer Donald Cook, according to Newsweek.
Marisa Herman ✉
Marisa Herman, a Newsmax senior reporter, focuses on major and investigative stories. A University of Florida graduate, she has more than a decade of experience as a reporter for newspapers, magazines, and websites.
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