The US Navy has accused the Russian Navy of an “unsafe and unprofessional” approach after a Russian destroyer nearly collided with one of American guided missile cruisers in the Philippine Sea.
The US Navy claimed in a news release on Friday while the USS Chancellorsville was recovering a helicopter “on a steady course and speed,” the Russian ship “maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville.”
“This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision,” said the Navy’s 7th Fleet in a statement.
The Russian ship “accelerated and closed to an unsafe distance of ~50-100 feet,” forcing the US vessel to “execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision,” the statement read.
"We consider Russia's actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional,” the statement added.
The incident happened at 11:45 am Friday in the Philippine Sea, according to the statement.
Earlier, Russia accused the US warship of causing the near collision with of the Admiral Vinogradov anti-submarine destroyer in the southeastern part of the East China Sea due to what it described as dangerous maneuvering.
The Russian Pacific Fleet’s press release said the US Navy vessel “unexpectedly changed course and crossed the route of Russia's anti-submarine Admiral Vinogradov vessel 50 meters afar" in a “dangerous maneuver.”
Another video of encounter between #USSChancellorsville and Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Vinogradov https://t.co/c1jOEq6gjz via @RebeccaRambar pic.twitter.com/Jdl2uP8PzZ
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) June 7, 2019
The incident comes just days after American fighter jets intercepted three Russian jets off the coast of Alaska in two days.