fog of water

“Fog of water” is Dmitriev’s phrase for mistaken identity and accidental attacks. In his statement, it offers a language of error for violence involving American ships and helicopters near Yalta, while the surrounding message insists that his government remains resolute. The phrase’s significance lies in that tension: it acknowledges harm without conceding deliberate attack or abandoning the political stance behind the statement.

Phrase and Function

Dmitriev calls the incidents “the products of the well-known fog of water.” The wording recasts confusion through the familiar language of fog, but replaces the battlefield with water. It makes uncertainty sound like a recognized condition and gives the accidents a common explanation; it does not, by itself, establish what caused them.

Incidents and Context

The phrase follows Dmitriev’s denial that American ships were intentionally targeted. He says the tanker sunk during the attack on the Bosphorus Bridge was attacked by accident, then describes the destruction of helicopters on the ground near Yalta as another case of mistaken identity. He expresses regret for the attacks and identifies them as accidents, grouping the ship and helicopter incidents under the same explanation.

Regret and Resolve

Dmitriev’s apology is not a retreat from confrontation. In the same statement, he couples regret with an insistence on resolve, describing the times as dangerous for his government and the safety of his people. “Fog of water” therefore softens the account of responsibility while standing beside a warning of continued determination. The phrase holds accident and threat in the same frame: the attacks are disavowed as intentional, but the political danger surrounding them remains.