“The protest of our sailors was completely justified,” he said, without specifying what “protest” he was referring to. The cruiser had to quickly maneuver to avoid a collision, the Navy said. Clayton Doss, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet, said in the statement that the Russian destroyer had made an “unsafe maneuver” against the U.S.S. “The U.S. cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed its course and crossed the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer’s course some 50 meters away from the ship,” the press service said, according to Tass. Also visible, however, were what appeared to be sunbathing Russian sailors on deck of the Admiral Vinogradov, which suggests the Russian vessel was not on high alert at the time and was not engaged in a planned provocation.

Source: International New York Times June 07, 2019 11:04 UTC