The United States and Russian navies are at odds over an apparent near collision in the Pacific on June 6, with each side blaming the…
The United States and Russian navies are at odds over an apparent near collision in the Pacific on June 6, with each side blaming the other.
The U. S. and Russian warships came somewhere between 50 feet and 165 feet of each other, according to the two opposing reports, with both sides alleging their ships were forced to perform emergency maneuvers to avoid a collision.
This latest incident comes just days after the U. S. Navy accused Russia of intercepting a U. S. aircraft and amid tensions with Moscow on a wide range of geopolitical issues. Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Russian Vladimir Putin in the resort town of Sochi, where he warned Russia about interfering in U. S. elections, taking a tough public line on the issue.
“A Russian destroyer…. made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville, closing to 50-100 feet, putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk,” US Navy spokesman Cmdr. Clayton Doss told CNN in a statement.
“This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision,” Doss said.
The U. S. guided-missile cruiser was traveling in a straight line and trying to recover its helicopter when the incident occurred, he said.
“We consider Russia’s actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional,” Doss said.
The U. S. account was contradicted by Russia’s Pacific Fleet, which claimed it was the U.
