Frontline – July 05, 2019

Russianwarshiphaddeliberatelysteeredintoitspath,

whiletheRussianNavysaidtheU.S.warshipwastheone

thatchangedcoursesuddenlytowardsAdmiralVino-

gradov. Thetensionescalatedandthenfizzledout.

ONJUNE7, TWOPOWERFULWARSHIPSALMOST
collided in thePacific OceanneartheChinesemaritime
border. Each blamed theotherforthenearcollision. The
twoships—theUSSChancellorsvilleof theCarrierStrike
GroupFiveandAdmiralVinogradov of theRussianPa-
cific Fleet—camewithin 50metresof eachother.It wasa
verytensemoment.Fortunately, therewasnodamageto
eithership.
Theonlyoutcomewasa warof wordsovertheinter-
pretationof theevent.TheUnitedStatesNavysaidthe

Close encounters

ADMIRALVINOGRADOVof theRussianPacific Fleet(left)

sailsclosetotheUSSChancellorsvillein thePacific Ocean

onJune7 in this imageprovidedbytheU.S.Navy. The

U.S.andRussianmilitariesblamedeachotherfor the

nearcollision.

PETTY

OFFICER

1ST

CLASS

CHRISTOPHE

R J KRUCKE

VIA AP

U.S.andRussianwarshipsrecorda near-collisionin theNorthPacific region

near China’s coast at a time when Russia-China relations reach an

“unprecedentedlevel”in termsof theireconomicties,includingarmsdeals,

andjointmilitaryexercises.BYVIJAYPRASHAD

WORLD AFFAIRS

U.S.& RUSSIA