Why did Boris Johnson choose a fight for Crimea?
Comment  It is almost incomprehensible UKThe warship, officially identified as Delta 36, but named HMS Defender, entered waters claimed by Russia around Crimea, which the United Kingdom does not recognize but fully understands the sensitivity of Russia in this area of the Black Sea. In a drama lasting more than six minutes, an anonymous Russian Coast Guard vessel demanded the exit of the British vessel, telephoning HMS Defender with the message: Stay clear of the border. Change course to starboard. You are breaking the innocent passage rule. If you dont change course to starboard, Ill fire. For a while, Defender replied that this was an innocent passage through international waters, but after three warning shots and overflights of at least three Su-24 planes, the prime minister Boris JohnsonThe warship turned right (starboard) and left waters claimed by Russia, still insisting it was in international waters and accusing the Russians of unprofessional conduct. The Russian reaction was very harsh. He vigorously challenged the UKs statements, issued a full video of the event, called in the Moscow-based naval attach and the UK ambassador, and made it clear that he would not tolerate such intrusions. It was not a useful step soon after a seemingly successful summit between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Putin. So far at least, the British leader defends the operation of the British ship and insists that the ship was in international waters. Neither the British nor the Russians talk about Biden or Washington. The British could have risked losing one of their precious naval assets. There are only six Type 45 destroyers currently in service. The HMS Defender entered service in 2013 and is configured as a missile ship. With a crew of just under 200 sailors, the ship is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles Aster 15 (max range 48 km or 30 miles) and Aster 30 (max range around 112 km or 70 miles). The ship could have shot down the rather old Russian Su-24s that were harassing Defender, but it would have run into difficulties if the Russians had used ranged weapons. Defender transited three kilometers (1.9 miles) inside Russian territory off Cape Fiolent in Crimea just before noon local time on June 23. The UK does not recognize claimed Russian territorial waters around Crimea. The defender had just visited Odessa in Ukraine and appears to have taken the course he did as a provocation. Putin, let us remember, had recently assembled Russian forces around Ukraine in a major show of force. But as the US-Russia summit approached, Putin overthrew the assembled forces and deliberately introduced a resolution on Ukraine based on the Minsk Protocol. The Minsk Protocol (original version and a second one called Minsk II) is an agreement involving the OSCE (Organization for Security Co-operation in Europe), the Donetsk Peoples Republic, the Luhansk Peoples Republic, Ukraine and Russia. The Minsk Protocols do not deal with Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and although Russias annexation is not internationally recognized, in practice Crimea is now part and increasingly integrated into the Russian territory. One of the problems with the Johnsons stunt in Crimea is that Russia will believe it was a Biden-promoted operation, only because the Russians dont think the UK, or, for that matter , NATO, do anything without Washington setting the tone. Russian analysts, including the somewhat independent Vladimir pozner, believe that Washington is breaking its promises and is unreliable. Russia is also concerned that the United States will put Ukraine in NATO, and Putin told Biden that this is a red line for the Russian Federation. If Ukraine were part of the NATO military alliance, Ukraines claims on Crimea could drag NATO into a war (which it probably could not win). It could also force NATO to confront the Donbass in eastern Ukraine (which includes Donetsk and Luhansk). At a minimum, the clash off Cape Fiolent (Mys Fiolent) directly undermines any progress in the US-Russian summit and deepens mistrust between the parties. It is odd, to say the least, that the UK is on its own and disrupts a diplomatic process that is only just beginning. Stephen Bryen is considered a thought leader in technological security policy, having twice received the Department of Defenses highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Medal. His most recent book is Technology Security and National Power: Winners and Losers. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Epoch Times.