Clash in the skies over the Black Sea and tension rises between the United States and Russia, with an exchange of accusations between Washington and Moscow after the first direct contact between the two superpowers after the first year of war in Ukraine. An American MQ-9 drone crashes after colliding with a Russian Su-27 jet, according to the stars and stripes version. Russia denies any responsibility and speaks of an accident: the drone fell by itself after an incorrect manoeuvre.
UNITED STATES – The United States reconstructs the episode, which lasted 30-40 minutes, with the information released by the White House and the Pentagon. The drone, according to General James Hecker, “was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft”, precisely a Su-27 which “caused an accident and the complete loss of the MQ- 9”. The US has decided to shoot down the drone in international waters.
The jet, says Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, ”was probably damaged”. ”Because of the damage, we had to crash it into the Black Sea”, adds the Pentagon spokesman, explaining that the drone was no longer able to fly. The MQ-9 Reaper drone, he adds, was conducting “routine operations in international airspace”.
General Hecker reconstructs the stages of the clash: “At 7.03 in the morning, one of the” two “Russian Su-27 jets” present in the area “hit the propeller of the MQ-9, forcing the US forces to shoot down the MQ-9 in international waters. Several times prior to the collision, the Su-27s released fuel by flying in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, inappropriate and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to” a “dangerous and unprofessional” behavior, in Hecker’s words.
The White House expresses itself through John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council: “If the message is that” the Russians “want to dissuade us from flying and operating in international airspace, over the Black Sea, then that message will fail, because that will not it will happen”. Because “we will continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters”. Kirby then adds that “the Black Sea does not belong to any nation. And we will continue to do what we must do for our national security interests in that part of the world”. The US is evaluating whether to disseminate at least part of the images of the episode. Meanwhile, they work to recover the remains of the aircraft and prevent the stars and stripes technology, with any data collected, from falling into the wrong hands. “Without going into details, I can say that we have taken the necessary steps,” says Kirby. “It’s US property, we don’t want anyone else to get their hands on it.”
RUSSIA – Ambassador Anatoly Antonov is summoned to Washington, called to provide explanations after the first response from the Ministry of Defense from Moscow: The American MQ-9 Reaper drone that crashed in the Black Sea ”was violating the regulations for the use of airspace’ ‘ and for this reason ”the Russian fighter jets took off”. But ”there was no contact between the American drone and the Russian fighters” which ”did not use weapons”.
”The American drone, following a sudden manoeuvre, lost control in flight, lost altitude and crashed into the water”, claims the ministry. ”The drone was flying towards the border of the Russian Federation”, adds the note, stating that the aircraft had ”the transponders switched off”. The ministry also states that “after the drone was detected, the fighters of the Russian armed forces on duty took off”.
‘Russia is not seeking confrontation with the United States,’ says Antonov. ‘The Russian Federation considers the incident with the American drone in the skies over the Black Sea a provocation,’ he says. ‘The question of ‘consequences’ for Moscow it was not raised after the drone incident”, explains the diplomat, underlining the need for the United States and Russia to act “very carefully” after the latest events.
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