US Slams Russia’s ‘Brazen’ Aggression as Fighter Jet Brings Down Drone, Warns of Potential War
The United States has condemned what it calls the “arrogant” downing of one of its drones by a Russian fighter jet.
The US military has warned that Russia’s recent “aggressive” and “dangerous” actions risk “escalation” into war.
The drone was shot down while flying over the Black Sea close to the Ukrainian frontline and Russian-occupied Crimea.
US European Command stated that a Russian Su-27 jet struck the propeller of the MQ-9 Reaper drone, causing it to crash-land in the ocean and be lost.
Before the 7 a.m. local time collision, two Su-27s “dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9” in a “reckless” and “unprofessional” manner.
It was the first time since the height of the Cold War that the Russians had shot down an American aircraft.
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US Slams Russia’s ‘Brazen’ Aggression as Fighter Jet Brings Down Drone, Warns of Potential War. Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, the United States has been sending drones over the Black Sea but has now warned that the flights could spark tensions with Russia.
The command stated, “This incident is consistent with a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with U.S. and Allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea.”
These aggressive actions by the Russian aircrew are risky and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, condemned what he termed Russia’s “brazen violation of international law.”
The commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, General James Hecker of the United States Air Force, also condemned the Russians.
“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” he said.
This reckless and unprofessional behavior by the Russians nearly brought down both aircraft.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said the Russian planes had been stalking the drone before the collision.
“It seems like approximately 30 to 40 minutes they were flying in the vicinity of this MQ-9,” he said.
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The New York Times reports that terrified US military personnel in Germany watched a live feed from the drone as Russian jets repeatedly flew around it and dumped fuel to damage its cameras and sensors.
Senior US officials have been concerned for months that an incident involving the Black Sea could result in miscommunication and conflict.
Since before the start of the war, the United States has operated Reapers drones over the Black Sea to track Russian troop movements on the Ukraine front.
The drones can fly up to 50,000 feet for 10 hours, making them ideal for intelligence gathering and extended reconnaissance missions.
After its fighter jets were dispatched to intercept the drone near Crimea, according to the Russians, it made a sharp turn and crashed into the water.
Moscow denied its warplanes made contact with the drone and insisted they did not fire their weapons in an act of war to shoot it down.
The incident is believed to have occurred in a region where there is intense NATO military activity close to the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict.
White House spokesman John Kirby said the Russians have previously intercepted drones but this one was notable because it caused the downing of a US aircraft.
“Therefore, it is unique in this regard,” Kirby stated.
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The State Department will communicate directly with their Russian counterparts to express our concerns regarding this unsafe and unprofessional intercept.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that fighter jets were dispatched to intercept an American drone flying “in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation.”
“As a result of sharp maneuvering, the U.S. drone entered uncontrolled flight, lost altitude, and crashed into the water’s surface,” the ministry said.
“The Russian fighters did not employ airborne weapons, avoided contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle, and returned safely to their home airfield.”
The United States has operated MQ-9 Reaper drones in a variety of locations, including the Middle East and Africa, for surveillance and strikes.
Other nations, including the United Kingdom and France, fly Reapers.
In recent years, the United States has lost several MQ-9s, including through hostile action.
2019, one drone was shot down over Yemen by a surface-to-air missile fired by Huthi rebels, who also attempted to shoot down another drone a few days later.
In 2022, according to media reports, an American MQ-9 crashed in Libya.
A second aircraft was lost during a training exercise in Romania earlier this year, and a third was lost in 2019 over Libya.
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