Footage shows a US drone colliding with a Russian fighter jet
On Tuesday, the United States said an American military drone “Reaper” crashed in the Black Sea after hitting the propeller of a Russian Su27 fighter jet. Washington also claimed that before the collision, Russian warplanes approached the drone from unsafe distances and even dumped fuel on US equipment.
Moscow had denied the collision and said that the equipment fell into the water after sudden movements.
However, the video released by the Pentagon shows the Russian fighter approaching the drone until it collides with the propeller (see video above). The drone then loses speed and then crashes into the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the US drone was spotted near the Russian border, so the jets took off to assess the situation. The Russian news agency TASS denied the use of air forces and contact with US equipment.
Image 1 of 1 shows the moment a Russian fighter jet approaches a US drone over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023. — Photo: Comando dos EsU.S. European Command/Handout via Portal Image shows the moment a Russian fighter jet approaches a US drone over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023. — Photo: Commando dos EsU.S. European command/handout via Portal
On Wednesday (15th), the day after the episode, the Kremlin and the White House exchanged threats. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said relations between the two countries were in a “deplorable” state after the episode and had fallen to an alltime low.
this is that first military incident involving the United States since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for more than a year, and the case raised alarm for a conflict between Moscow and Washington since the beginning of the war, the two countries have been exchanging threats. The Kremlin has repeatedly criticized arms deliveries from Western countries, especially the USA, to Ukraine.