US drone shot down in the Black Sea may increase tension with Russia | news today

The “Reaper MQ-9” drone is combat-capable, but it was designed for extended surveillance duties. This is the device that the US had to shoot down this Tuesday over the Black Sea after a Russian fighter hit it, causing it to lose control.

Photo: EFE – Leslie Pratt

The United States ruled out on Tuesday that the collision of a Russian fighter with an American drone over the waters of the Black Sea, which forced them to shoot down the drone, can be considered an accident by Russian forces.

“Given the actions of the Russian pilots, it is clear that (the maneuver) was unsafe and unprofessional. I think the facts speak for themselves,” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told a news conference. The event took place around 07:03 in the morning local time.

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The European command of the United States specified that the Russian fighter, an Su-27, hit the propeller of its MQ-9. Several times before that collision, Russian planes had dumped fuel and flown in front of the drone “recklessly.”

The damage caused by the blow made the decision to throw it away. With the crash, according to Ryder, without going into details, the United States estimates that the Russian fighter was also damaged.

The Pentagon spokesman specified that the two fighters involved in this incident flew close to the MQ-9 for between half an hour and 40 minutes and insisted that although this type of interception is common, what is not normal was the behavior of the Russian pilots.

The MQ-9 can be armed, but it has not been provided what type of mission it was carrying out. The Russian fighters landed later, but no details have been provided about it either.

The United States recalled that its air forces regularly fly over sovereign European territory and international airspace in coordination with the corresponding countries and in accordance with international legislation.

Defense Department officials have not discussed what happened with their Russian counterparts and the complaint has been channeled through the State Department.

The spokesman for US diplomacy, Ned Price, also said today that the incident was “a blatant violation of international law” and assured that Washington has already transferred its discomfort to Moscow.

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The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, has conveyed a “strong message” to the Russian Foreign Ministry, while the State Department has summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoli Antonov, the official explained at a press conference. telephone.

The Russian Defense Ministry has instead denied any contact between its Su-27 fighters and the MQ-9. The military statement states that the US drone lost altitude due to an uncontrolled maneuver and “collided against the surface of the water.”

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