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US warship ‘aggressively approached’ by Russian vessel
U.S. Navy officials said a warship in the Arabian Sea was aggressively approached by a Russian Navy vessel.
LOS ANGELES - A U.S. Navy warship encountered aggressive moves from a Russian Navy ship in the Arabian Sea Thursday.
The U.S. 5th Fleet shared video of the encounter on its official Twitter account. Officials said the USS Farragut was conducting “routine operations” in the region when it was “aggressively approached” by the Russian vessel.
The video showed the Russian vessel keeping speed alongside the American warship. In another video posted by the U.S. 5th Fleet, the Russian Navy ship appeared to tail the USS Farragut closely before it sharply veered away in an apparent near-miss.
As the ship came closer, Farragut sounded “five short blasts,” which is an international maritime signal that indicates ships are getting close to a collision, according to U.S. Navy officials.
Crews on the USS Farragut urged the Russian ship to alter its course in accordance with the international rules at sea. At first the ship refused, according to U.S. 5th Fleet, but eventually altered its course and opened up a distance between the vessels.
Officials said the Russian ship came within 60 yards of Farragut.
“The U.S. Navy continues to remain vigilant and is trained to act in a professional manner,” U.S. 5th Fleet tweeted.