DISINFO: British warship Richmond threatened Russian navy
SUMMARY
In 2017, the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was on its way to Syria accompanied by battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy. During this trip, British warship HMS Richmond openly and impudently tried to take a place in the column of Russian aircraft carriers driven by its “banal curiosity.” Ultimately, the Russian warship crossed Richmond’s route, prompting the British warship to retreat. This is yet another example of “Battle of Russian and NATO Navies.”
RESPONSE
This is an example of a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO countries' aggression towards Russia. The footage is from 2017, revived by News Front Georgia to portray the advantage of Russia's navy over that of NATO countries'. The British warship HMS Richmond had been tracking the movement of Russian vessels since 2016 and Russia was informed about it. Both the BBC and The Guardian reported that in 2016, the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and its task force, including the nuclear-powered battle cruiser Peter the Great, left Russia for Syria. The carrier and its task force were sailing south from the Norwegian Sea on their way to Syria, passing near British territorial waters. Since the Russian warships planned to pass through the English Channel, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the ships would be “man-marked” every step of the way (see BBC article above).
Moreover, the story is not supported with actual footage of the so-called confrontation between Richmond and Peter the Great. Instead, the article is accompanied by a general video of these warships and car racing.
See further debunking from Myth Detector.