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Russian fighter shoots down an American drone in the Black Sea


US military authorities reported that a Russian fighter jet bombed and forced down a US military drone over the international waters of the Black Sea on Tuesday.

The accident occurred after two Russian fighter jets intercepted it American drones They carried out maneuvers that ended in forcing the drone.

The downed drone is a MQ-9 reapersthat the US military is operating in the region in surveillance work, and that the Russian fighters are the Su-27 Flanker.

General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Forces in the European and African regions, explained in a statement that the accident occurred a few minutes after 7 am – Spanish time – and that it was a “reckless” and “unprofessional” maneuver. by Russian ships.

According to Hecker’s account, the two Russian fighters dumped fuel on the American plane and took off in front of it. At one point, “one of the Russian SU-27s touched the MQ-9’s propeller, prompting US forces to crash the MQ-9 into international waters.” The drone’s propeller is located at the stern of the ship.

Accident proof Lack of abilityThe general added that the drone “carried out routine operations in international airspace, in addition to being an unsafe and unprofessional procedure.” He indicated that the collision came close to destroying the two ships.

White House Security and Defense spokesman John Kirby later clarified that it was “not unusual” for Russian warplanes to intercept US ships on surveillance missions over the Black Sea, a key area in the development of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He added, “On this occasion, as is evident, it is all the more significant because it is unsafe, unprofessional and reckless, and ended up with the demolition of our ship.”

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Both countries are washed by the Black Sea, including much of the Ukrainian territory that Russia has occupied. The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet is stationed in Crimea, which Russia captured from Ukraine in 2014, and is central to wartime logistical efforts in the country’s south and east.

The United States has carried out surveillance missions in this region since before the war began, mainly through unmanned aircraft such as the MQ-9. These types of aircraft can fly up to 50,000 feet and have been used to track and anticipate Russian movements on both the land front and the Black Sea.

Kirby explained that the National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, informed US President Joe Biden of the incident. The collision is occurring at a crucial moment in the evolution of the war, with internal discussions in the United States about maintaining support for Ukraine and in the run-up to a major new Russian offensive expected this spring.

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