Read our dramatic eyewitness report as Vladimir Putin gunboat opens fire

Russian warplanes and armed coastguard vessels targeted a Royal Navy warship before opening fire yesterday.

A Daily Mail reporter was on board HMS Defender as repeated bursts of cannon fire rang out in a dramatic incident that opened up a fresh diplomatic crisis.

The Russian jets and ships menaced the UK destroyer after it entered disputed territorial waters off Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

After the coastguard vessel opened fire, the British sailors frantically pulled on on flame retardant suits and body armour amid fears that their warship could be hit.

The hour-long incident represented the most alarming escalation of UK tensions with the Kremlin since the Salisbury poisonings of 2018.

Russia responded by summoning the British defence attache in Moscow. Its embassy in London accused the Royal Navy of an act of provocation and of violating its border.

But the Queen sent a message of 'best wishes and a safe journey' to Defender's 240-strong crew.

And Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, accused Moscow of 'pathetic grandstanding'.    

'Russian jets thunder overhead. Our crew readies Sea Viper missiles. Wars have started over less': MARK NICHOL witnesses bullets fly as Putin's forces target British warship after tensions boil in the Black Sea

The angry thud of cannon fire rings out on the port side of HMS Defender as I crouch beside the bridge in my hastily adorned flame retardant gloves and balaclava.

We are being pursued furiously by a pair of Russian coastguard vessels while, every couple of minutes, Russian jets pass thunderously overhead.

The deafening roar of supersonic aircraft filling my ears is an unsettling, yet enthralling, experience. Then, as part of Defender's response, her deadly arsenal of Sea Viper missiles are brought to readiness.

After a second burst of enemy cannon fire I overhear an update intended for her captain that we have 'two hard-kill missiles effective'. For a second I wonder just what might happen next. Wars have started over less.

The drama began about an hour ago as we approached Crimean territorial waters to carry out what the Royal Navy calls a freedom of navigation patrol.

Russia does not like these patrols because it regards the waters off the peninsula as its territory – while the UK, as an ally of Ukraine, maintains these are Ukrainian waters. Irrespective of whose waters these are, the Royal Navy also insists Defender is following an internationally recognised shipping route.

I was inside the destroyer's cool, dimly-lit operations room when the Russian radio operator issued the first of his warnings via the VHF transceiver: 'Delta 36 [Defender's radio call-sign], change your course.'

He didn't sound too concerned though and there was no sense of what would transpire. Looking around none of the 30 crew in their blue overalls, sitting studiously before banks of radio screens, seem alarmed either. But minute by minute, as more red (for enemy) icons flash up on the banks of monitors, the tension mounts.

While today's passage is entirely legitimate, and justified under UN charters and international shipping conventions, there is no doubt that we are, to use the overused phrase, poking the Russian bear. A signaller responds to a second warning from the Russian radio operator reminding him of the UK's entitlement to uphold the right of innocent passage.

I move up two decks from the windowless operations room to Defender's bridge, which affords a perfect view of the placid sea on this warm morning. I even spot dolphins swimming on our port side. All is well.

Moments later the grey outline of a Russian coastguard vessel appears on the horizon. 'Request her course,' says Defender's operations officer, glancing through binoculars over the ship's head. Then over the radio Commander Owen asks: 'How many aircraft [Russian] do we have now?' 'Probably 14 now,' responds the female air warfare officer. That's 14 supersonic jets and maritime patrol aircraft, including SU-24s. While more Russian jets are apparently taking off from nearby bases.

Then the Russian coastguard's voice crackles on the radio again, sounding piqued by Defender's course. Contrary to his requests we have declined to steer to our starboard to avoid what are Crimean territorial waters.

'Delta 36, I am Russian coastguard, please change your course. Keep clear. Keep away from the border line, change your course. Your course leads to territorial waters. Do you read me over?' Commander Owen responds on the radio reminding his crew they must 'maintain the narrative': the UK warship is here to uphold international law. 'I suspect they're going to try to budge us out,' he says.

True to Commander Owen's prediction two Russian coastguard vessels effectively form a barrier on Defender's port side. Plumes of grey smoke rise from their engines as they accelerate in a bid to maintain Defender's speed. Commander Owen is amused, remarking of the lead coastguard vessel: 'She's right on the beam now, she can't keep up with us. We're outrunning them.'

Defender's wake sends huge waves towards the coastguard vessels which crash against their hulls – an ignominious feeling one imagines for the Russians, who seem desperate to keep us out of Crimean waters.

They're back on the radio and this time the warnings are pretty threatening: 'Delta 36, do not cross the border or I fire. Change your course. If you cross, I fire. Your ship is entering the territory of the Russian Federation. We do not take responsibility if you are damaged. We are engaging in a military exercise in this area.'

The introduction of the apparent military exercise seems a convenient ruse intended to dissuade Defender from entering what it regards as Russian waters.

More Russian jets conduct thunderous passes on our port and starboard and the operations officer is sufficiently concerned to order the crew to put on 'anti-flash' balaclavas and gloves.

At this stage there's no protective equipment for me. 'Have you guys got any anti-flash?' asks the ops officer. I shake my head. 'Better get them some then,' he says.

Sailors scurry off and come back with clothing I'll be thankful for if any Russian missile or gunfire causes a fire aboard Defender. Pulling on the gear the threat seems real now. The Russians aren't messing around and neither are we, there's no way the Royal Navy is going to be steered off course.

The aircraft warning aboard Defender is raised to 'red' while another Nato vessel, which is also operating in the Black Sea, suspects that it has been 'radar-locked' by a large Russian navy vessel, a precursor perhaps to a missile engagement.

The Crimean coastline is now clearly in view, seafront buildings, forests and hills. More aggressive warnings over the radio from the Russians then a report from observers on the port side upper deck reaches the bridge: 'Gunfire heard to the stern!'

I rush outside for a better look; an instinctive response but perhaps not the wisest move for a husband and father of three young children. A sailor bearing binoculars reckons cannon fire came from one of the coastguard vessels.

Moments later more cannon fire, two heavy bursts from the lead coastguard vessel. 'Keep away from me!' says the Russian coastguard over the radio.

Only the Russian sailors know for certain who they were firing at or in what direction. But given their exasperation at being

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