The US military released footage of a Russian plane crashing into one of its drones over the Black Sea.
The United States said that due to the damage, the large drone had to be launched into the water near Crimea on Tuesday.
Russia denied that its Su-27 fighter jet clipped the drone’s propeller, but the video appears to support the US version of events.
The Pentagon was interested in publishing the video, mainly to verify its version of events.
The BBC did not see the events before or after the collision. The United States initially said the confrontation lasted around 30 to 40 minutes, but released footage is less than a minute long.
On Wednesday night, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “We remain confident in the facts that we have reported thus far.”
He indicated that the Pentagon was looking at what video could be released.
It is not uncommon for the military to take time to declassify video footage before making it public.
Austin previously described Russia’s actions as dangerous and reckless, and the video posted, which was redacted, appears to back him up.
An image from a camera installed under the surveillance drone’s fuselage shows a Russian Su-27 making two extremely close passes while releasing what appears to be fuel as it approaches.
On the first pass it seems to jam the camera lens. In the second she gets even closer and interrupts the video transmission of the remotely driven vehicle.
When the image returns, a bent and misshapen blade of the drone’s propeller can be seen at the rear of the aircraft.
Russia claimed that the drone was approaching its territory, but all that can be seen in the video is sea, sky and clouds.
The United States insists that the drone was being operated in international airspace.
“exclusion zone”
However, Moscow appeared to suggest on Tuesday that it had imposed a unilateral no-fly zone over the region as part of its invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, indicated that the drone had “limits of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation.”
In a statement issued hours after the crash, the United States said that Russian planes dropped fuel on the drone several times before the collision.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters that the drone was “unflyable and could not be controlled”, adding that the collision likely damaged the Russian plane as well.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the drone crashed after a “sharp maneuver” and was flying with its transponders (communication devices) turned off.
The Kremlin has not yet responded to the release of the American video.
On Wednesday, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said efforts were being made to find and recover the wreckage of the drone.
On Thursday, Russian ships were seen at the site where the drone was shot down in the Black Sea, US media reported.
Senior Washington official John Kirby noted that the United States was also looking for the aircraft, but stressed that if Russia finds it first, “its ability to exploit useful intelligence will be greatly reduced.”
Gen. Mark Milley, the top US military general, reiterated that message, saying the US has taken “mitigation measures” to ensure there is nothing of value in the downed drone.
Now you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate them so you don’t miss out on our best content.
BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-64976523, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-03-16 16:10:08
Drafting
BBC News World
#video #showing #collision #drone #Russian #military #plane