A BBC journalist on board the British ship HMS Defender has revealed that the destroyer made a “deliberate” move in passing through Russian territorial waters “to make a point,” despite receiving warnings from the coast guard. The state broadcaster’s defense correspondent, Jonathan Beale, also noted that the ship’s crew heard shots, but they were believed to be “out of range.”
In an audio report, Beale revealed that the ship purposely moved into the waters near Crimea, within 12 miles (19km) of the coast, through what the British called a “recognised international shipping lane.” The transit through Russian waters took over an hour, the correspondent said.
“[The Russian Coast Guard] have warned the ship not to go into Crimean territorial waters, claiming that they are Russian waters,” Beale said, noting that Britain does not recognise the peninsula as Russian, but Ukrainian.