In the first such direct encounter between the two countries since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, the US military claimed a Russian fighter aircraft clipped the propeller of one of its spy drones, causing it to fall into the Black Sea.
The Russian ambassador to the United States stated that his nation regarded the incident on Tuesday involving a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and an American MQ-9 drone as a “provocation.” The Russian defense ministry provided a different account of the incident.
In comments published on his embassy’s website, Russian Ambassador to US Anatoly Antonov said that the American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) “deliberately and provocatively moved towards Russian land with transponders off.” “We view this incident as a provocation,” he told Russian agencies on Tuesday after being called by the US State Department.
The United States undertakes regular surveillance flights in the region and has supported Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in military aid, although it has not become actively engaged in the war.
The Ukrainian military reported on Wednesday that Russia had shelled numerous settlements along the eastern front in the previous 24 hours, including a rocket assault on a civil infrastructure in the Kherson region that resulted in civilian casualties.
Russia has denied that it has targeted civilians.
The American surveillance drone was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 aircraft in what the US military called a careless maneuver in international airspace. According to the report, the Russian fighter aircraft flew dangerously close to the MQ-9 and dumped fuel on it, possibly in an effort to blind or damage it.
The drone crashed at 7:03 a.m. (10:03 MUT) after about 30 to 40 minutes when one of the aircraft collided with it, according to the US military. According to the Pentagon, Russia has not retrieved the drone, and the jet was probably damaged.
General James Hecker of the US Air Force, in charge of the US Air Force in the area, said in a statement that the Russians’ unsafe and careless action almost caused both planes to crash.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was reported to have crashed after “sharp maneuvering,” according to the Russian defense ministry, which disputed that any of its aircraft had made contact with it. According to the report, the drone was spotted close to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
According to spokesman Ned Price, the American State Department called Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov to review what transpired.
