World War 3 Warning: Russia's Putin Threatens To Bomb UK Ship 'encroaching' Crimean Waters

 

Putin sparked alarm bells after he threatened to bomb UK ships encroaching Crimean waters. He also said, 'The West knows it cannot defeat Russia in World War 3'

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 30, had accused the US of sending a surveillance plane to assist a British warship that had allegedly already encroached into its territorial waters in the Black Sea near Crimea.

Notably, Russia annexed Crimea, which is a part of Ukraine in 2014. Following this, the United States and Britain have imposed various sanctions in protest against Russia. 

In the wake of this ongoing squabble, Russia has now accused the British Navy-owned ship-HMS Defender of encroaching on the waters in the Black Sea near Crimea. The incident which occurred on June 23, has triggered a heightened tension between all parties involved, especially Russia.

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Russia in response, later said it had fired from its warships to warn the encroaching British ships and had even noted that it had fired off warning shots from its warplane all the way throughout the route of the British ship which has now entered Russian Crimea's waters. However, 10 Downing Street in Britain has remained silent on this development, in particular Russia's aggressive armed response.

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In reference to this new development, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 30 that when a British ship encroached into Crimean waters last week, a US surveillance aircraft was observed to have provided assistance with their ship. He alleged that the US Air Force was involved in learning of Russia's reaction to the incident and reporting it to the British ship.

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World War III threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared in his statement to local press over the incident a rather alarming point. He noted that World War III is not a likely possibility in the event that Russia was to strike down enemy ships or threatening entrants in its territory. It was a direct reference to the British ship. He also noted that the West is well aware that Russia can no longer be defeated if a war of such magnitude were to take place. While the Russian President's statement has undeniably caused a stir in the international political arena, both the US and the UK governments are yet to comment on the issue.

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In a similar incident, another warning was issued after a Russian defence expert spoke to a British tabloid and indicated that Vladimir Putin will be tempted to "use or lose" Russia's vast military arsenal as it grows bigger over sustained sanctions and threats by the West.

The Russian President's comments come at a time when it could add fire to earlier Russian warnings that Moscow would not stand back idly if British ships continued to enter its territory. He warned that Russia would bomb British naval vessels in the Black Sea in the event of further provocative actions by the British navy near the heavily fortified Russia-controlled Crimea and its territorial waters.