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A Russian fighter plane forced to down a US Air Force drone The US military said over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone.
A statement from the US European Command said the Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 planes were flying over international waters over the Black Sea on Tuesday when one of the Russian jets deliberately flew forward and dumped fuel on the drone several times.
The plane then collided with the drone’s propeller, prompting US forces to drop the MQ-9 drone into international waters. Pentagon spokesman Brig. General Patrick Ryder added on Tuesday that the Russian plane flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before impacting at 7 a.m. Central European Time.
“Our MQ-9 aircraft was performing routine operations in international airspace when a Russian aircraft intercepted and hit us, causing the MQ-9 to crash and completely disappear,” Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of US forces, European Air Force and African Air Force, said in the statement. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional action by the Russians almost caused both planes to crash.”
The incident marked the first time that Russian and American military aircraft had direct contact since Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago and has the potential to increase tensions between the two nations, with the United States calling Russia’s actions “reckless, unfriendly, and unprofessional.”
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said that Russia did not want “confrontation” between his country and the US after he was summoned to the State Department following the downing of the drone.
“We do not want to create a situation where we could face unintended clashes or unintended incidents between the Russian Federation and the United States of America,” Antonov said.
Antonov, who has been in the State Department for more than half an hour, said Assistant Secretary Karen Donfried communicated US concerns about the incident and that they “exchanged our comments on the matter.” because we have some differences.”
“To me, it seemed like a constructive conversation about the issue. I’ve heard her comment, I hope she understands what I’ve mentioned,” Antonov said in response to CNN’s question.
He also stated that Russia “notified this space to be designated as an area for special military operations”.
“We have warned not to enter, not to enter,” he said, asking how the US would react if a Russian drone approached New York or San Francisco.
Antonov reiterated the Russian Defense Ministry’s denial of the incident. It denied the Russian jet had come into contact with the drone in a statement earlier on Tuesday, saying the fighters “tried to identify the intruder” after detecting launched it over the Black Sea, adding that the drone “performed an unguided flight with a loss of altitude.”
“The drone was flown with the transponder turned off, violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for special military operations, which was in contact with all users,” the ministry said. international airspace and declared to international standards”.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident by national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday morning, according to National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby. Ryder said Defense Department officials “haven’t spoken specifically with Russian authorities” about the incident.
Price specifically said that the US was “engaged at a high level with our allies and partners” to keep them informed of the incident. He added that the US was “in no position to talk about what the Russians intend to do” with the exercises, but the end goal is not as important as “what actually happened”.
Kirby said it was “not unusual” for Russian planes to intercept US planes over the Black Sea and said there had been other intercepts in recent weeks.
However, he said Tuesday’s incident was unique in that Russia’s actions were “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless”.
The US Department of Defense is currently working to declassify images from the incident, Ryder said on Tuesday. He also said that Russia has not yet recovered the downed drone.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” on Tuesday, Kirby said the US has “taken steps to defend our fairness with respect to that particular drone.”
“Obviously we don’t want to see anyone get their hands on it but us,” Kirby said. He added that the US rejects Russia’s disclaimer, saying people “should disregard everything the Russians say about what they’re doing in and around Ukraine.”
Russian and American aircraft operated over the Black Sea during the process war in ukrainebut this is the first known interaction like this, a potentially dangerous escalation at a critical time in the engagement.
The United States has been operating Reaper drones over the Black Sea since before the start of the war, using surveillance drones to monitor the area. According to the Air Force, the Reaper drones can fly as high as 50,000 feet, and they have sensors as well as the ability to gather intelligence and conduct long-term reconnaissance, making it the ideal platform for Ideal for tracking movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea.
This story has been updated with additional details.
