JOHN MOORE/Getty Images via AFP
An American Reaper drone at the Huachuca military base in Arizona on November 4, 2022. Illustrative photo.
WAR IN UKRAINE – A diplomatic showdown begins between Russia and the United States. Following Tuesday’s crash of an American drone in the Black Sea, the Kremlin announced on Thursday, March 16, its intention to fish out the plane it suspects as evidence of Washington’s involvement in operations in Ukraine. The White House, for its part, says it will investigate Moscow’s motives for the incident.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday evening that one of the causes of the incident was the “strengthening” of American espionage operations. “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,” the minister said in a press release from his ministry.
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“Russia does not want such a development of events, but it will now respond appropriately to any provocation,” the text adds.
The Reaper MQ-9 crashed into international waters 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. Russia argues that the drone entered a no-fly zone off the Crimea peninsula, annexed in 2014, which it itself decreed for its operation in Ukraine.
For Moscow, the United States “participates in the war”
“I can’t speak of any motive or intention (on the part of the Russians, ed.) at this point, but what I can say very clearly is that it was a thoughtless and dangerous action,” Foreign Minister Antony said Flash. Visit to Addis Ababa. Indeed, Kiev has accused Russian forces of deliberately overthrowing the Reapers to send a message to Washington as they fight in their attempts to gain ground in Ukraine.
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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed on Wednesday that the US would continue to fly “where international law permits”. “It is Russia’s responsibility to fly its military aircraft professionally and safely,” he added during a press conference after a phone interview with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.
For its part, Russia has announced that it will seek to locate and recover the device in order to analyze the very sophisticated observation equipment. “I don’t know if we can achieve it or not, but we have to try. And we will definitely take care of it, and I hope successfully, of course,” Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said on Russian television. He said the incident proved that the United States had “directly participated in the war.”
Washington says it has protected its sensitive information
A White House spokesman, John Kirby, previously told CNN the United States had “taken steps” to ensure the drone or its equipment could not fall into enemy hands. General Mark Milley did not rule out an American attempt but said the operation was difficult. “We have no ships in the Black Sea at the moment” and the drone is believed to have broken up and sunk at a depth of 1,200 to 1,500 meters, the US chief of staff said.
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Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, summoned by the US State Department, pointed out that Moscow considers the presence of American drones in the region a threat and called on US forces to “continue their flights close to Russian ones”. border” after being subpoenaed by the US State Department.
It is the first time a NATO country has acknowledged the loss of self-propelled equipment in this highly flammable region since the Russian attack on Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. The Reaper drone is a remote-controlled aircraft with a wingspan of 20 meters, equipped with onboard sensors for surveillance and weaponry. With a cruising speed of 335 km/h, it has a range of more than 24 hours.
The skies over the Black Sea are the scene of very regular interactions between drones and planes from NATO countries and the Russian armed forces, especially since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
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