Sgt. Daniel Perry's attorney has said the soldier was working for a ride-sharing company and acted in self-defense after a protester pointed a gun at him.
A spokesperson for U.S. European Command reaffirmed the Pentagon’s earlier dismissal of the Russian description of the Black Sea incident involving a British destroyer as false.
The incident on Wednesday marks the first time since the Cold War era that Moscow has claimed to have used live ammunition to deter a NATO warship, reflecting soaring Russia-West tensions.