Spying on the United States was one of the reasons for the incident between the Russian Air Force and an American drone in the Black Sea, Sergei Shoigu accused on Wednesday and assured that Russia “will now respond appropriately to any provocation”.
The Russian defense minister confirmed this Wednesday during a phone call with his American counterpart that the “intensification” of espionage operations carried out by the United States was one of the causes of the incident between Russian aviation and an American drone in the Black Sea.
“The causes of the incident are non-compliance by the United States with the restricted flight zone announced by Russia and established as a result of the implementation of the special military operation (in Ukraine), as well as increased intelligence activities against Russia’s interests,” Sergei Shoigu said in a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.
“Flights of strategic American drones off Crimea are provocative in nature, creating the conditions for an escalation in the Black Sea,” continues this press release, issued after the phone call between Sergei Shoigu and Lloyd Austin.
“An Escalation in the Black Sea”
“Russia does not want such a development of events, but it will now respond appropriately to any provocation,” the ministry adds, believing that “the main nuclear powers must act as responsibly as possible, in particular by opening the channels of the military.” maintain communication to discuss any crisis situation”.
In a separate statement, Russia’s defense ministry said chief of staff Valery Gerasimov also spoke on the phone to his American counterpart Mark Milley on Wednesday, without giving further details.
The Reaper MQ-9 crashed into international waters on Tuesday after being hit by a Russian fighter jet, Washington said. Moscow admits its fighter jets intercepted the plane, but denies any contact that led to the crash.