US Taunts Russian Warship in Mediterranean In Near Collision - from TRUNEWS

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday a U.S. destroyer had approached dangerously close to a Russian warship in the Mediterranean Sea on June 17, and protested at what it said was a flagrant U.S. violation of rules to avoid collisions at sea.

The alleged incident involved the USS Gravely and the Russian Navy frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the ministry said in a statement. The Gravely approached the Russian vessel at a distance of 60-70 meters from the port side and crossed in front of it, it said.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) is pictured underway during the multinational UNITAS Atlantic 53-2012 exercise conducted in the western Caribbean Sea in this September 25, 2012 handout photo. REUTERS/ Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker/U.S. Navy/Handout 

At the time of the incident, the Russian ship was in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean, cruising steadily and without making any dangerous maneuvers, the Russian statement said. There was no immediate comment from Washington.

Recent months have seen a number of similar Cold War-style incidents at sea and in the air, with each country’s military accusing the other of dangerous approaches in international waters and airspace.

In one such case, the U.S. military said in April that Russian Su-24 bombers had simulated attack passes near the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, with one official describing them as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the time that the behavior of the Russian pilots was reckless, provocative and dangerous, adding that “under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down”.

Russia’s Defence Ministry, uneasy about increased NATO activity close to Russia’s borders, said the latest incident “shows that it is U.S. sailors who allow themselves to forget the basic principles of safe seafaring and not to think about the eventual consequences of this dangerous maneuvering in regions with intense navigation”.

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov and Alexander Winning; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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