Amsterdam: Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, the Netherlands’ defense minister, said that Russian fighter jets armed with air-to-surface missiles harassed a Dutch navy frigate in the Black Sea this month, leading to mock attacks and jamming communications.
The Russian Defence Ministry told that it scrambled fighter jets and bombers to block the frigate from entering Russian waters, news agencies reported.
According to the Russian military, the planes flew at a safe distance from the vessel and in accordance with the international regulations.
The Netherlands’ Defence Ministry reported that the Russian actions took place over five hours on June 24 and breached rights to free use of the sea.
The frigate, Evertsen, was part of Britain’s Carrier Strike Group, which was performing a patrol in the area at the time.
Ms. Bijleveld-Schouten described the Russian action as ‘irresponsible’. ‘The Evertsen has every right to sail there,’ she said. ‘There is no justification for this kind of aggressive act, which needlessly increases the chance of accidents.’ She said that the Netherlands would raise the matter with Russia diplomatically.
Last week, a similar incident occurred, between London and Moscow, after the HMS Defender passed near Crimea in the Black Sea.
The Russians claimed they fired warning shots at the destroyer to ward it off, but Britain denied it.
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and claimed the water around the peninsula as its territory.
The international community, including Britain, did not recognize the move and backed Ukraine’s claim to the water.
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