In a recent incident that has further exacerbated tensions between Russia and the United States, a Russian fighter jet reportedly collided with a US drone, resulting in the unmanned US aircraft crashing into the Black Sea.
The incident occurred during a routine mission in international airspace, with the US European Command issuing a statement that attributed the crash to an “unprofessional act by the Russians”.
According to the statement, the US MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine surveillance operations in international airspace when it was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets.
The statement further revealed that several times before the collision, the Russian fighter jets had dumped fuel on the drone in a “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner”.
While the US military maintains that the Russian fighter jets made contact with the drone, causing it to crash, Russia denies these claims, stating that the drone crashed due to a “sharp maneuver”.
Furthermore, the Russian defense ministry accused the US aircraft of flying with its transponders turned off, which are communication devices that allow aircraft to be tracked.
