Russian Jet Causes American Drone To Crash Over Black Sea – US…
Written by City Radio on March 15, 2023
A Russian fighter jet on Tuesday dumped fuel on an American drone over the Black Sea and then collided with it, causing the drone to crash, the US military said, slamming the manoeuvre as “reckless”.
US European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper over international waters and one clipped its propeller.
“Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” it said.
Moscow denied causing the crash of the drone, which the Pentagon said was on a routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission.
The US State Department said it had summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby later said, “obviously, we refute the Russians’ denial” and added that the United States is trying to prevent the fallen drone from getting into the wrong hands.
NATO diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident, but said they did not expect it to immediately escalate into a further confrontation.