DISINFO: British destroyer violated Russia’s border in the Black Sea
SUMMARY
Russia’s Ministry of Defence published a video of the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender that violated the Russian border in the waters of the Black Sea. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to Moscow and called the incident a "flagrant violation", noting that the action of the British military contradicts international law and Russian laws.
RESPONSE
This is a distortion of the incident involving the British destroyer HMS Defender near Crimea’s coasts on 23 June 2021, which has been surrounded by a wider disinformation campaign. Given that Russia’s annexation of Crimea is internationally considered as illegal, the claim that the vessel violated Russia’s border in the waters of the Black Sea is false, as is the allegation that the British actions go against international and Russian laws.
The crew of HMS Defender manoeuvred the vessel in strict observance of international protocol. By passing near Crimea, the Defender was exercising the right of innocent passage, as laid down in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Articles 17-19 of the Convention allow for passage through another state's territorial sea, provided it is "continuous and expeditious" and "not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal State" (pp. 30-1).
Innocent passage is one of several qualifications on the absolute sovereignty of a coastal state over its territorial waters. This means that a vessel exercising this right within the meaning of the Convention does not need to seek permission from the coastal state. This, according to a leading maritime law scholar, "makes it irrelevant to which state the territory in question belongs".
See this article by POLYGRAPH.info for additional debunking and earlier examples of Moscow's misleading coverage of maritime incidents in the Black Sea.
See other examples of disinformation about the HMS Defender incident, such as the claim that the UK destroyer’s passage near Crimea violated international law, that its presence in the Black Sea was a NATO provocation or that the UK wanted Russia to shoot at the vessel.