Russia claims to have recovered the wreckage of a US surveillance drone, MQ-9 Reaper, from the Black Sea before the US forces could retrieve it.
A Russian salvage team claimed to have raised parts of the drone onto their vessel after a Russian fighter jet clipped its propeller.
However, the US military had earlier said that two Russian Su-27 fighters had intercepted the unmanned drone and forced it to crash into the sea.
The incident further escalated tensions between Russia and the US over Moscow’s involvement in Ukraine’s war.
Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, warned that the Kremlin would “consider any action with US weaponry as openly hostile” following the drone incident.
Antonov accused the US of an “act of provocation” and urged it to stop “hostile” flights near Russia’s borders.
He dismissed the US military’s claims that Russia’s warplanes hit the surveillance drone and argued that it had crashed following an encounter with Russian fighter jets.
The incident also led to calls in Moscow for the Su-27 pilot to be given a top state honour and cash rewards for downing the US drone.
Russian Lt-Gen Andrey Gurulev praised the pilot’s heroism and urged more action to neutralise drones flying near Crimea.
Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, confirmed that the drone 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.
The incident followed a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with U.S. and allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea.
The US European Command warned that these aggressive actions by Russian aircrew were dangerous and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation.
Despite Russia’s threats, the US vowed to continue its missions in the area.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine continued to escalate, with a Russian missile striking an apartment building in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, killing at least one person and wounding nine others.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video showing gaping holes in the façade of the low-rise building, which bore the brunt of the strike that damaged nine apartment blocks, a kindergarten, a bank branch and two cars.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin cast the conflict in Ukraine as an existential one for Russia, and the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that military means may be the only option for Russia given Kyiv’s refusal to talk.
»Russia Claims to Recover US Drone from Black Sea and Warns of Hostile Actions with US Weaponry«
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