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Russian ship nearly collides with U.S. warship in Philippine Sea

Earlier this week, a Russian aircraft intercepted a U.S. aircraft three times in just three hours as it flew over the Mediterranean Sea.
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A Russian destroyer accelerated toward a U.S. warship in the Philippine Sea and almost collided with it, putting the safety of the crew at risk, the Navy said Friday.

The near-collision happened around 11:45 a.m. as the USS Chancellorsville was recovering a helicopter.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement posted on its website that the Russian destroyer "maneuvered from behind and to the right of" the USS Chancellorsville and then sped up toward the U.S. ship.

Image: USS Chancellorsville
While operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian Destroyer made an unsafe maneuver against guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) on June 7, 2019.U.S. Navy

It came about 50 to 100 feet of the Chancellorsville, causing the ship to "execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision."

The Navy said the Russian destroyer made an "unsafe maneuver" and condemned Russia's actions as "unprofessional."

The Russian military accused the Chancellorsville of suddenly changing course and crossing into the path of their ship, named the Admiral Vinogradov.

The crew on the Admiral Vinogradov had to make a quick maneuver to avoid colliding with the U.S. ship, the Russian military said in a statement through their embassy. They said its Navy sent a radio message in protest.

Earlier this week, a Russian aircraft intercepted a U.S. aircraft three times within three hours as it flew over the Mediterranean Sea.

The 6th Fleet said in a statement on Tuesday that the second interaction of the Russian SU-35 was "determined to be unsafe" and put the pilots and crew on the U.S. P-8A Poseidon aircraft at risk.