Russia has accused the UK of lying over a warship confrontation in the Black Sea, warning London it would respond firmly to any further "provocation" by the British navy off the coast of Crimea.

Moscow stated that the warship, the HMS Defender, breached Russian territorial waters, which Britain and most nations say belong to Ukraine.

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UK ambassador to Russia, Deborah Bronnert, was summoned in Moscow to receive a "tough demarche" (diplomatic jargon for a scolding) and spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused London of "barefaced lies."

Russia released footage filmed from a Russian SU-24 bomber flying close to the British ship, following the vessel as it left what Moscow considers to be its territory. 

"We believe it was a deliberate and premeditated provocation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the incident, in which Moscow said it fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of the British destroyer.

"In the event of a repeat of unacceptable provocative action – if those actions go too far, no options can be ruled out in terms of legally defending Russia's borders," Peskov told reporters.

'No warning shots'

Britain said Russia was sowing inaccuracies and disputed the Kremlin's account. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told reporters during a visit to Singapore: "No shots were fired at HMS Defender."

"The Royal Navy ship was conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters. We were doing so in accordance with international law, and the Russian characterization is predictably inaccurate," he added.

Under the international law of the sea, innocent passage permits a vessel to pass through another state's territorial waters so long as this does not affect its security.

Russia said the British ship had ventured as far as 3 km into Russian waters near Cape Fiolent, a landmark on Crimea's southern coast near the port of Sevastopol, headquarters of the Russian Navy's Black Sea fleet.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson supported Raab, saying: "I think it was wholly appropriate to use international waters."

He added: "The important point is that we don't recognize the Russian annexation of Crimea. These are Ukrainian waters and it was entirely right to use them to go from A to B."

The BBC released footage from the ship showing a Russian coast guard warning he would shoot if the British ship did not change course. The broadcaster said shots were fired and that as many as 20 Russian aircraft were "buzzing" the British ship.

Britain said the shots were part of a Russian pre-announced gunnery exercise.