OREANDA-NEWS. The world has witnessed the largest escalation in relations between Russia and the UK since the Skripals case. This is how The Spectator columnist Tim Ogden commented on the recent incident with the British ship Defender.

"The presence of the British fleet may be part of a broader NATO strategy. The alliance intends to make it clear that it will continue to challenge Moscow, including through activities in the Black Sea," the journalist notes.

London is probably seeking to define its role on the world stage, especially after leaving the European Union, but Moscow is equally ready to demonstrate its readiness to defend itself, Ogden said.

"Naturally, the government will want to avoid a serious escalation of the conflict with Russia, because the idea of guaranteed mutual destruction in 2021 is as terrifyingly real as it was during the Cold War," the author of the article added.

Potential collision - and even casualties - will not automatically lead to war. At the same time, it will prove that the second cold war has already begun, he concluded.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the British Navy destroyer Defender crossed the border and entered the inland waters for three kilometers in the area of ​​Cape Fiolent (Crimea). After the Russian border patrol ship opened warning fire, and the Su-24M aircraft made "warning bombing" in the direction of the destroyer, it left the country. The British Ministry of Defense said that the ship was making an innocent passage through the territorial waters of Ukraine, there were no warning shots.