Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov: American planes and ships have nothing to do near the borders of the Russian Federation The US has accused Russia that its Su-27 aircraft shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
The Russian Defense Ministry insists that the UAV crashed without assistance. The State Duma believes that the drone collected data on the locations of military facilities and air defense systems on the territory of Crimea. The coordinator for strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the United States had taken measures to prevent the wreckage of its drone from falling into the wrong hands.
"With great disbelief"
John Kirby said on CNN that the United States "took measures" so that the wreckage of the drone that fell into the Black Sea did not fall into the wrong hands.
"Without going into too much detail, I can say that in relation to this drone, we have taken measures to protect our property, specifically this aircraft. It is owned by the USA. We obviously don't want it to fall into the hands of anyone but us," Kirby said.
The coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council also added that the United States "rejects" Russia's statements about its non-involvement in the drone crash.
The TV channel also reported that the United States used these "spy drones" even before the start of the military special operation in Ukraine, using them over the Black Sea "to monitor the area." These drones can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (more than 15 km), and they "have sensors and capabilities to gather intelligence and conduct reconnaissance for long periods of time, making them an ideal platform for tracking movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea."
Image source: Alina Jus/"Newspaper.Ru"
In turn, the journalists of the American TV channel CBS published a video on which a possible scenario of a "collision" of a US drone with a Russian aircraft over the Black Sea is modeled.
Surveillance of Crimea
After the incident with the American drone, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov was summoned to the State Department. His visit, according to CNN, lasted just over half an hour. After the meeting, the diplomat said that Moscow does not want a confrontation with the United States.
According to Antonov, Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried conveyed to him the US concerns about the incident. The ambassador clarified that they "exchanged comments on this issue" because the parties "have some differences."
"It seems to me that it was a constructive conversation on this issue. I heard her remarks, I hope she understood what I mentioned," Antonov told reporters.
The diplomat also noted that the Russian side informed the American side that the space in which the incident occurred "was defined as a zone for a special military operation," where Russia urged "not to enter, not to penetrate." Antonov added that Russia considers the incident with the UAV "as a provocation."
"The unacceptable activity of the US military in the immediate vicinity of our borders is of concern. We are well aware of the purpose for which such unmanned reconnaissance and strike vehicles are used To collect intelligence information, which is subsequently used by the Kiev regime to attack our armed forces and territory," Antonov said.
He also asked journalists to imagine what the US reaction would be if such a drone suddenly appeared near New York or San Francisco.
Mikhail Sheremet, a State Duma deputy from the Crimean region, suggested in an interview with RIA Novosti that American drones, flying over the Black Sea, collect data on the locations of military facilities and air defense systems on the territory of Crimea.
Sheremet believes that all the data obtained is then transmitted to the Ukrainian side, which uses them to attack the peninsula with drone strikes.
Knocked down or fell himself
The day before, the European Command of the US Armed Forces reported that two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted an American MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle in the sky over the Black Sea. According to Washington, one of the Russian planes, while over the international waters of the Black Sea, "touched the drone's propeller," which prompted the US military to sink the drone into the sea.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder added that the Russian plane flew "in close proximity" to the drone for 30-40 minutes before colliding"with it.
"Our MQ-9 aircraft was performing routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and shot down by a Russian aircraft, which led to the crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," the Air Force general said.
CNN journalists noted that this incident "marks the first case of direct physical contact between Russian and American military aircraft" after the start of a military special operation. Kirby said the actions of the Russian planes were "unsafe, unprofessional and reckless."
The Russian Defense Ministry denied Washington's version. The department reported that they noticed an American UAV "over the Black Sea in the area of the Crimean Peninsula," and it was flying "in the direction of the state border" of Russia. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the drone flew "with the transponders turned off in violation of the boundaries of the area of the temporary regime for the use of airspace established for the purpose of conducting a special military operation."
"In order to identify the violator, fighters from the air defense forces on duty were lifted into the air. As a result of sharp maneuvering, the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into an uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface. Russian fighters did not use airborne weapons, they did not come into contact with an unmanned aerial vehicle," the Russian ministry insists.
The New York Times newspaper reported, citing a senior Pentagon official, that the American drone that fell into the Black Sea was not equipped with any weapons.
"While the drones, known as Reapers, can carry Hellfire missiles, this aircraft was not equipped with weapons and conducted surveillance about 75 miles southwest of Crimea," the article says.
Maria Shustrova
