Russia prevents US destroyer from violating territorial waters in Sea of Japan

Moscow, Oct 16 (IANS) A Russian anti-submarine ship tracked down a US naval destroyer and prevented the foreign vessel from violating the country's territorial waters in the Sea of Japan, the Defence Ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said in a statement.

The destroyer USS Chafee approached Russia's territorial waters and attempted to cross the state border after operating in the Sea of Japan for several days, Xinhua news agency quoted Zvezda as saying in a report.

Russia's anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs tracked down the foreign warship, issued a warning notifying the destroyer about the inadmissibility of such actions, and had to drive the intruder from the territorial waters when the US warship didn't change its course following the warning.

The US vessel changed direction and turned back later when the Russian warship was less than 60 metres away.

The American destroyer's actions were a gross violation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea as well as the 1972 Soviet-US Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas, Zvezda added.

The Defence Ministry later summoned the Defence Attache at the US Embassy in Moscow over the violation.