In the US, they offered to shoot down Russian planes after the incident with the droneThe American media are actively commenting on the incident with the US Air Force drone over the Black Sea.
This is the "first direct military clash" between Moscow and Washington since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, journalists say.
The Washington Post: Russian fighter jets shot down an American drone over the Black Sea, the Pentagon reportsRussian fighter jets dropped fuel and collided with an American reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, resulting in the drone being shot down, according to the US military.
This is the first direct military clash between Russia and the United States since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.
The incident occurred around seven o'clock in the morning local time. The US Air Force employees who remotely controlled the MQ-9 Reaper had no choice but to sink the drone in international waters.
US officials stressed that the collision fits into "a series of dangerous actions by Russian pilots in international airspace" and warned that such provocations could lead to "miscalculations and unintended escalation" between the two powers.
Russia denies its involvement and accuses the American side of crossing the so-called "temporary" border.
The confrontation highlighted the high risks of conflict. The United States and NATO are arming Kiev and providing it with intelligence information, but at the same time they claim that they are not directly involved in what Moscow calls attempts to destroy Russia.
The official representative of the Pentagon, Brigadier General of the US Air Force Patrick Ryder, refused to answer the question of whether the drone was armed, what mission it was carrying out and where exactly it sank in the Black Sea.
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The incident between Washington and Moscow occurred just at a time when national polls show that society is less and less supportive of the Biden administration's decision to provide American weapons and other types of assistance to Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal: A Russian plane collided with an American drone over the Black SeaA Russian Su-27 shot down an American spy drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, the Pentagon said.
This incident is one of the first direct military clashes between the forces of the two countries since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine more than a year ago.
Early on Tuesday morning, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets and an American MQ-9 reconnaissance drone, which arrived from Romania, flew next to each other in international airspace for about 30 minutes. One of the Russian fighters flew past the drone, dropped fuel on it and flew away. Then the second plane tried to do the same, but collided with a drone, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense said. As a result of the collision, a part of the MQ-9 drone broke off, and its operators sent it down into the water.
A Pentagon spokesman described the incident as a “childish" but random move by Russian pilots.
According to a senior administration official, the State Department summoned Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov to a meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried on Tuesday evening.
According to Russian state news agencies, Moscow considered the drone incident a provocation, Antonov said after a meeting with Donfrid. Donfried expressed concern about the incident, but did not mention the consequences for Russia, Antonov said. The Russian ambassador described the meeting as constructive and added that Moscow does not seek confrontation with Washington.
The New York Times: A Russian military plane shot down an American drone over the Black Sea, the US saysU.S. military officials said the unarmed Reaper drone was on a routine reconnaissance mission when it was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets about 75 miles southwest of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which Russia uses as a base for devastating strikes.
State Department spokesman Ned Price called the downed drone an “unsafe, unprofessional interception” and a “brazen violation of international law.”
The Russian Defense Ministry rejected the allegation of the fault of Russian military aircraft and offered an alternative version of what happened. In a statement, the ministry said that after the Russian Air Force lifted fighter jets into the air to identify the drone, the unmanned American aircraft abruptly maneuvered, lost altitude and crashed into the water.
The drone flew near the Crimean Peninsula and headed for the Russian border with the identification transponder turned off, contrary to the instructions issued by Russia regarding the airspace over the territory where it conducts military operations, the statement said.
Sophisticated Reaper cameras and other sensors could peer into Russian–controlled Crimea while flying at an altitude of about 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) in international airspace - a routine mission that the MQ-9 performed long before the conflict in Ukraine began.
Newsweek: Lindsey Graham recommends shooting at Russian planes in response to the incident with the American droneIn response to the destruction of an American reconnaissance drone by Russian pilots, Republican Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham said that the United States should shoot Russian military aircraft that approach American vehicles located over international waters.
On Tuesday evening, in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Graham said that the United States should call Russia to account and tell the Kremlin: "If you ever approach an American vehicle over international waters again, your plane will be shot down."
"What did Ronald Reagan do? He would have started shooting down Russian planes if they threatened our devices. American foreign policy is in decline," the senator said.
Joe Biden behaves like a "deer in the headlights" in the face of Russian and other foreign threats, Graham noted.
CNN: A Russian fighter jet shot down an American drone over the Black SeaOn Tuesday, a Russian fighter jet shot down a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, damaging its propeller, according to the US military.
An American drone and two Russian Su-27 fighter jets were flying over international waters in the Black Sea when one Russian plane deliberately flew in front of the drone and dropped fuel on it several times.
This is the first time that a Russian and an American military aircraft have come into direct physical contact since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine a year ago. The incident is likely to increase tensions between the countries. The US called Russia's actions "reckless, environmentally unsafe and unprofessional."
