Moscow said Saturday that a Russian anti-submarine destroyer pursued a U.S. submarine near the Kuril Islands, forcing it to leave the country’s territorial waters, amid escalating tensions in Ukraine.

However, the U.S. military has denied this claim.

The destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov spotted a U.S. Navy Virginia-class submarine in Russian territorial waters off the Kuril Islands in the North Pacific during a planned military exercise, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The frigate’s crew “adopted appropriate measures” when the submarine ignored the request to surface and the U.S. submarine departed at full speed, the Defense Department said, without providing further details.

The ministry said it had summoned the U.S. defense attaché in Moscow over the incident.

“The military attaché of the U.S. embassy in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding the violation of the borders of the Russian Federation by the U.S. Navy submarine,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

However, the U.S. military statement said: “Russian claims that we are operating in its territorial waters are untrue.”

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Capt. Kyle Raines said he would not comment on the exact location of the U.S. submarine.

But he added: “We do fly, sail and operate safely in international waters.”

The Kuril Islands, located north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, have been under Moscow control since they were occupied by Soviet forces at the end of World War II.

The alleged incident took place near the Russian-controlled Kuril island of Urup.

Tensions are rising between Russia and the West, with Moscow besieging Ukraine with more than 100,000 troops on three fronts.

Washington has warned that a full-scale invasion could begin “any day.”

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday denounced the claim as a “provocation”.

Complete News Source : HINDUSTAN TIMES