By REN QI in Moscow | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-07-06 09:39 Share CLOSE Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the 8th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 1, 2021. [Photo/Agencies] The Kremlin on Sunday claimed that the United States had masterminded provocations that saw the British destroyer HMS Defender enter Russian waters off the Crimean Peninsula last month. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia, which fired warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of the warship to chase it out of Black Sea waters off Crimea, could have sunk the ship.