The United States released a video on Thursday (16) that allegedly shows that the interception of an American drone by Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea was “unsafe” and “unprofessional.”
Russia, in turn, denies being responsible for the incident, in which according to the United States, the drone’s propeller was damaged, which caused it to fall into the sea.
According to the US military, the 42-second video has been edited to maintain its sequential character, but still shows a Su-27 aircraft approaching the MQ-9 Reapers drone, releasing fuel as it passes.
The Russian fighter then makes another pass and dumps fuel again.
The video is interrupted for 60 seconds due to the Russian aircraft colliding with the US drone, according to the US military. When the footage comes back, it is noted that the drone has lost part of its propeller.
The incident has further increased tensions between Moscow and the West since the start of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said Wednesday (15) that it was unclear whether the collision was intentional, but the “aggressive behavior” was deliberate.
Russia says it will try to recover the remains of the drone, but Milley said the aircraft likely broke apart and sank in an area 1,200 to 1,500 meters deep.
Even if Moscow manages to recover the wreckage, the U.S. says it has taken “measures” to protect classified information.
“We are sure that anything that had value is now worthless,” Milley said.
The United States uses the MQ-9 model drone for both surveillance and attack. Its use in the Black Sea is strategic for monitoring Russian naval forces.
A number of U.S. drones have been lost in recent years, including one that U.S. Central Command says was shot down in Yemen with a surface-to-air missile in 2019.