In a screen grab of a video clip released by the US Defense Department’s European Command, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet flies close to a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, spraying it with what appears to be jet fuel, on Mar. 14 over the Black sea.
Handout/US European C Department of Defense
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Handout/US European C Department of Defense
In a screen grab of a video clip released by the US Defense Department’s European Command, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet flies close to a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, spraying it with what appears to be jet fuel, on Mar. 14 over the Black sea.
Handout/US European C Department of Defense
MOSCOW — Russia’s Ministry of Defense awarded state honors to the pilots of two fighter jets accused by the US of forcing down an American Reaper drone in the Black Sea last week — the latest twist in an incident that has sparked fears of direct military conflict between the nuclear superpowers.
In a statementDefense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented state awards to Su-27 pilots saying they “prevented” the American drone “intruder” from “violating” unilaterally imposed airspace restrictions of Russia during the conflict in Ukraine.
The Ministry’s statement reiterated Russia’s assertions that the US surveillance plane was flying with its transponders turned off and crashed into the water of its own accord due to a sudden sharp maneuver.
“The Russian aircraft did not use weapons on the ship, did not contact the unmanned aircraft and safely returned to their home airfield,” the Ministry said.
The statement came a day after The Pentagon released video footage which showed Russian warplanes twice spraying what appeared to be gasoline on the drone. The video feed cuts out, and a final clip shows a damaged propeller blade on the drone.
The US said its plane was flying a routine pattern in international airspace over the Black Sea.
NPR previously reported that US officials believe the harassment of the downed US drone by Russian fighter jets was approved by senior Russian officials — though US officials have expressed uncertainty if the pilot hit the drone on purpose or made a mistake.
Senior Kremlin officials said crews were now working to recover the surveillance aircraft – which Washington says is using it to help its allies in Kyiv identify Russian targets amid the war in Ukraine.
State media released unconfirmed reports that Russian recovery crews had located the drone — just over 35 miles from the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in water 3,000 feet deep.
Although the White House insisted that the US would continue with “routine” reconnaissance missions in international airspace, Russia warned that it sees the flights as “provocations” that would prompt a similar response from Russia.