US Destroyer Leaves Russian Waters After Kremlin Warship Threatens to Ram It, US Navy Denies

An American destroyer, John McCain entered the territorial waters of Russia in the Peter the Great Gulf for two kilometers and was driven out by the Russian large anti-submarine ship Admiral Vinogradov, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Today at 6:17 Moscow time, the USS John McCain destroyer, which has been in the Sea of ​​Japan for several days, violated the territorial waters of the Russian Federation in the Peter the Great Gulf, going 2 kilometers beyond the sea border line," Interfax reported quoting a statement from the Ministry Tuesday.

"Admiral Vinogradov, a large anti-submarine ship of the Pacific Fleet, which is directly tracking the American destroyer, warned the foreign ship through the international communication channel about the inadmissibility of such actions and the possibility of using a ramming maneuver to force the intruder out of the territorial waters," the military said.

"After the received warning and the change of course by the large anti-submarine ship of the Pacific Fleet Admiral Vinogradov to the destroyer John McCain, the American ship immediately went into neutral waters. The American destroyer did not make repeated attempts to enter them," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The US Navy has denied Russia's statement that the threat forced the American ship John McCain to leave the territorial waters of the Russian Federation.

"The statement of the Russian Federation on this mission is false. The American ship John McCain has not been expelled" from the territory of any country," Lt. Joseph Cayley, a spokesman for the US Seventh Fleet, said in a statement.

He added that the operation reflects the US commitment to "protecting freedom of navigation." According to him, the American ship "defended navigation rights and freedoms in the Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of ​​Japan" and "challenged Russia's excessive maritime claims."

"Admiral Vinogradov" continues to perform tasks in the immediate vicinity of the American warship, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The military reported that the Pacific Fleet corvette "Perfect" was sent to the area.

On June 7, 2019, the military of Russia and the United States accused each other of dangerous actions in the East China Sea, where a detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation and an American carrier strike group marched in parallel courses.

Representatives of the Russian Pacific Fleet then stated that the maneuver of the American cruiser Chancellorsville almost led to a collision with the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Vinogradov. Meanwhile, the US Navy published a video of the rapprochement of Russian and American ships, and accused the Russian side of dangerous actions.