Russia news live: Moscow threatens to ‘hit target’ if UK repeats operation in Black Sea

The Russian defence ministry issue footage of Wednesday’s skirmishes – claiming it shows the HMS Defender being chased out of the area off the coast of Crimea.

It appears to show a very slight deviation in the ship’s path. But UK defence secretary Ben Wallace said the ship carried on its way and exited the “internationally recognised” corridor as planned.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale, on board the ship, said a Russian coastguard vessel had attempted to make it change course but it stayed with the recognised shipping lane.

On disputed claims of warning shots being fired, the BBC footage did show what appeared to be shots being fired in the distance. Beale said: “We did hear some firing in the distance but they were believed to be well out of range.”

The government may be trying to play down Wednesday’s confrontation – but military figures have made clear how aggressive they consider Russia’s actions to have been.

Lord Alan West, former chief of the Royal Navy, accused Russia of “behaving like a rogue state” after harassing a British warship off the Crimean coast.

“Putin wants to play to his home audience, he wants to tell them, ‘Aren’t I tough, look at that, I’ve made Britain go away’, and that’s why I think they lied about firing warning shots at the defender – which they didn’t do. As per usual, I’m afraid, Putin’s organisation is lying about that.”

“I would say it’s the behaviour of a rogue state, but Russia shouldn’t be a rogue state,” he added.

Lord Richard Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said the loved ones of crew members onboard HMS Defender “will have been worried” when watching the footage of the confrontation on the Black Sea.

“But these people are professionals. The Royal Navy is a very professional organisation and they will do their duty to their absolute ability,” he told Sky News.

Asked if the idea of a Russian bomb being dropped next to a British warship was “squeaky bum time,” Lord Dannatt replied: “It is.”

He also said the idea Wednesday’s warning shots were merely part of a gunnery exercise was “codswallop”.

The Kremlin has also made its first public response to the maritime confrontation off Crimea – raising the stakes for any repeat mission, writes our Moscow correspondent Oliver Carroll.

Describing the operation by HMS Defender as a “deliberate act of provocation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would “not rule anything out … in the legal defence of Russian borders”.

Speaking with journalists in his daily briefing, Peskov said Russia was “very worried” about the significance of the UK’s operations. They were, he claimed, “unacceptable and inconsistent” with international law.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister has warned Moscow would take out any foreign warship that tested its territorial claims after the HMS Defender’s route via a shipping channel off the coast of Crimea.

“We can call people to respect common sense and international law,” Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday morning, “But if that doesn’t help, we can bomb not only the path [of a ship], but hit the target.”

“We will stand guard over all this by diplomatic and political, and, if necessary, military means.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said on Thursday that Moscow would “not rule anything out … in the legal defence of Russian borders”.

Our Moscow correspondent Oliver Carroll has more:

Britain’s ambassador Deborah Bronnert will be summoned to the Russian foreign ministry on Thursday, the ministry’s spokeswoman said, after the incident in which Russia claimed it fired warning shots at a British destroyer in the Black Sea.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Britain of lying in its reaction to the incident in comments that were broadcast on state television.

“London has lost its manners,” said the spokeswoman, accusing the UK government of “barefaced lies”.

A former Royal Navy chief has accused Vladimir Putin of “playing to the home audience” after Moscow claimed its forces fired warning shots at a Royal Navy warship in waters off Crimea.

Lord Alan West, former Chief of Defence Intelligence, Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy, said Russia’s behaviour was “appalling” as well as “dangerous and stupid”.

“The bottom line is Putin is an expert at disinformation and his actions are very reckless,” he told LBC. “His behaviour is appalling.”

“Putin wants to play to his home audience, he wants to tell them, ‘Aren’t I tough, look at that, I’ve made Britain go away’, and that’s why I think they lied about firing warning shots at the defender – which they didn’t do. As per usual, I’m afraid, Putin’s organisation is lying about that.”

“I would say it’s the behaviour of a rogue state, but Russia shouldn’t be a rogue state,” he added.

Labour’s Ed Miliband said the situation in the Black Sea was “confusing and worrying”, but said the Royal Navy “should not be put off by the Russians trying to grandstand”.

“I’m not sure we were poking them,” said the shadow business secretary – but he urged the government to “explain what actually happened”.

Former Tory MP and ex-Change UK leader Anna Soubry is sceptical about the whole incident – referring to the skirmishes as a “set up” and asking why BBC and Daily Mail reporters were “conveniently on board”.

British warships would “of course” sail again through the disputed waters around Crimea, said cabinet minister George Eustice. “We never accepted the annexation of Crimea, these were Ukrainian territorial waters.”

Eustice also said the Russians may have been trying to make a point by firing shots.

The UK Ministry of Defence said Russian planes were “undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior warning”.

“The official reason given by the Russians for the activities they were undertaking is that they were doing a gunnery exercise,” the environment secretary told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

“Whether that was cover for them to try and make some point, we don’t know. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn’t.”

Asked on Sky News if the British Navy would take the same route again, Eustice said: “Of course, yes.”