Russia Fires Warning Shots at Turk Fishing Boat

Destroyer was trying to avoid a collision, says defense ministry
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 13, 2015 7:30 AM CST
Russia Fires Warning Shots at Turk Fishing Boat
Russian seamen line up on their ship, the Smetlivy Destroyer, during the Navy Day parade in Sevastopol, July 25, 2010.   (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

A Russian destroyer fired warning shots at a Turkish fishing boat Sunday in the latest tensions between the two nations, reports Reuters. Russia's Defense Ministry says its warship, the Smetlivy, was just trying to avoid a collision with the unnamed vessel after repeated attempts to warn it over the radio and with what the AP calls "visual signals and flares" failed; the fishing boat changed course quickly after the Smetlivy opened fire, but the two ships came within about 600 yards of each other. Moscow has summoned the Turkish military attache in the incident, which took place in the Aegean Sea, about 14 miles off the Greek island of Lemnos, notes Sky News. (More Russia stories.)

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