Key takeaways:
- The US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle, causing it to crash into the Black Sea.
- The White House has condemned Moscow’s actions as “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless” while Russia’s defense ministry has denied its aircraft came into contact with the drone.
- The US is trying to prevent the fallen drone from getting into the wrong hands and is currently investigating the incident and the implications of the drone’s crash.
On Tuesday, a US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned aerial vehicle, according to the US military. The drone crashed into the Black Sea, prompting a diplomatic spat between the US and Russia.
The White House has condemned Moscow’s actions as “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless” while Russia’s defense ministry has denied its aircraft came into contact with the drone. The head of Russia’s SVR intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, said the country has “technical” capabilities to retrieve the drone.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby has said the US is trying to prevent the fallen drone from getting into the wrong hands. Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev has said that the country will work to retrieve the wreckage of the drone.
This is the first incident of its kind since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began. It is unclear whether the US will be able to retrieve the drone or not. The US military is currently investigating the incident and the implications of the drone’s crash.
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