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The British ministers will not have any illusions that the decision to drive HMS Defender into the disputed waters off the coast of Crimea annexed by Russia will trigger reaction From the Kremlin.
The debate about whether to issue warning shots is irrelevant-although if so, they are miles away.Because even the West believes that Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, is still part of it Ukraine, The Russians will not and will take corresponding actions.
It’s not surprising that the Russians followed it closely as the British warship passed near Crimea. In fact, it’s normal. The aircraft buzzed overhead, which helped to create a drama for the BBC defense reporters on board. Reports.
This kind of confrontation has its own law and rhythm. Russian jets often fly near British airspace to test the speed of British air defense systems. There is usually no prospect of live ammunition shooting, but this activity can exercise pilots on both sides.
However, this time the Russians have no shortage of other irritations. The Kremlin likes to treat the Black Sea as its naval backyard, but the West is increasingly cooperating to reinforce neighboring Ukraine, which is still in conflict with its larger neighbors in the East Donbass region.
London and Kiev signed a naval cooperation agreement on HMS Defender in Odessa this week, promising to jointly build eight new warships and establish a new naval base in the Black Sea. The British side present included Junior Secretary of Defense Jeremy Quinn and the first Sea King, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
Therefore, the Kremlin’s response on Wednesday was double-expected, despite Ministry of Defense Russia’s initial statement seemed a bit caught off guard. Denying that someone fired a gun gives the impression that the Kremlin is conducting false propaganda activities. It may have been exaggerated just because the shooting distance was far away.
Both sides will be able to achieve their own victory: the Russians said they drove the British warship out of their waters; an hour or so later, HMS Defender left, as usual. The UK would argue that it defended an important principle during short trips-freedom of navigation, including the right to “pass innocently” within 12 miles of territory.
In many ways, the target audience is not the Kremlin, but Beijing. Towards the end of summer, the new British aircraft carrier USS Queen Elizabeth will lead a multinational fleet across the China Sea in Vietnam. China has more and more territorial claims in the South China Sea, 1,200 miles from its mainland.
British experts, such as former Rear Admiral Chris Parry, believe that “the ocean is physically equivalent to the World Wide Web” and that the job of the United Kingdom and other Western countries is to “use them to keep sidewalks open.”
The reality is that China’s maritime power is growing rapidly, and the West is eager to respond to this. In other words, such maritime confrontations may still occur many times.
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