Russia's Defense Ministry said a Russian military ship fired warning shots at a British Royal Navy destroyer as it entered Russian waters in the Black Sea on Wednesday, followed by a fighter jet dropping bombs in the path of the British vessel. The claims were denied by the UK Ministry of Defence.

The UK's HMS Defender had trespassed as far as 3km across Russian borders, Moscow said, but left the waters soon after the incident.

"The destroyer had been warned that weapons would be used if it trespasses across the border of the Russian Federation. It did not react to the warning," said a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.

READ MORE:

The edible art show

Qatar Airways boss: End cut-price tickets

EU members condemn Hungary LGBT law

But the UK government claims the incident, which took place near Cape Fiolent, off the coast of Crimea, didn't happen at all the way the Russian authorities say.

The UK Ministry of Defence said no Russian warning shots were fired at the British ship, believing the shots were likely part of some "gunnery exercise," while claiming no bombs were dropped in its path.

Most importantly, UK authorities claim the HMS Defender never trespassed in Russian waters, but was crossing waters belonging to Ukraine. 

The ship was "conducting an innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law," Britain's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

This escalation of tensions between Russia and a Western nation over disputed sea lanes, though sudden, is not unexpected.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the incident showed that Russia's "aggressive and provocative policies" in the Black Sea are a "continuous threat to Ukraine and its allies." 

On the other side, Russia's foreign ministry described the passage of the British vessels in the contested waters as a "blatant provocation."

But despite Moscow threatening to summon the UK ambassador regarding the incident, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Wednesday he had not yet been called.

The UK destroyer was in Ukraine as part of a bilateral cooperation between the two countries, in which Britain agreed to help upgrade Ukraine's navy.

Western countries were also supposed to conduct naval exercises in the Black Sea this week, but only hours before the incident, the Russian embassy in Washington had called on the U.S. and its allies to cancel them.