According to the US military, the drone was forced to crash over international waters after Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on and collided with the MQ-9 Reaper drone on Tuesday. One of the fighter jets grazed the propeller of the reconnaissance drone. “This is a very sensitive phase in this conflict because it is the first direct contact between the West and Russia that the public knows about,” Elisabeth Braw of the American Enterprise Institute told Reuters.
The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying that the encounter was part of a “pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots” when interacting with American and allied aircraft in international airspace. Such provocations could lead to “miscalculation and unintended escalation” between the two states.
Russian Ambassador summoned
The US complained that “unsafe and unprofessional” actions on the part of the Russian side caused the incident. However, the US government made a striking effort not to escalate. “We do not want this war to escalate beyond what it has already done to the Ukrainian people,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
The US government summoned the Russian ambassador Anatoly Antonov. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said they wanted to “express strong opposition to this dangerous, unprofessional interception” of the drone. Antonov told the Washington Post that he “categorically rejected all allegations made by the US side.” The actions of the US military so close to the Russian border are “unacceptable”.
However, the Russian embassy also officially announced that it was important “that the lines of communication remain open”. Russia does not seek confrontation.
Moscow denies allegations
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied any responsibility for the crash. The drone was not shot at or attacked in any other way, according to a statement distributed by the state agency TASS. Rather, fighter jets were dispatched when the US plane was spotted flying in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation with its transponders switched off. This is a violation of the “provisional” limit set by Moscow for its “military operation” in Ukraine.
An alert squad from the Russian Air Force had gone up to identify an unknown intruder over the Black Sea. During a sharp evasive maneuver, the drone rapidly lost altitude and fell into the sea, according to the Russian military. “The Russian warplanes did not use any onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their home base.”
Kiev defends US drones over Black Sea
The Black Sea is not an inland sea of Russia, said the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, on the occasion of the drone incident. He defended the US drone presence. The countries bordering the Black Sea are also NATO members, including Turkey and Romania, which is why the US drones act there on a legal basis.
Drone with “Routine Operations”
Ambassador Antonov has accused the United States of using the drones to collect reconnaissance data for Ukraine, TASS reported. Russia assumes that the USA will refrain from further speculation in the media “and will stop its operations near the Russian borders”.
The U.S. military said the drone was conducting “routine operations” in international airspace. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder declined to say whether the drone was armed and what its specific mission was. Video of the incident captured by the MQ-9 must go through a declassification process before authorities decide whether to release it.
The Pentagon did not comment on a possible recovery of the aircraft. Kirby merely said that the United States had taken precautions to ensure that the drone did not fall into the wrong hands.
USA criticize unprofessional approach
National Security Council communications director John Kirby stressed that incidents of this nature are not, in and of themselves, uncommon. However, this case stands out due to the unsafe and unprofessional approach of the Russian side, which led to the complete loss of the drone. US President Joe Biden was informed of the incident.
If the Russians’ action was intended to prevent the United States from flying and operating in international airspace, then this message would not succeed. “Because that’s not going to happen,” Kirby said. “We will continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters. The Black Sea does not belong to a single nation.”
James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Africa, urged the Russians to “behave in a professional and safe manner.” This incident is one in a series of dangerous actions by Russian pilots in US and Allied aircraft in international airspace, including over the Black Sea.
