In a striking incident that is expected to alarm the world, a Russian fighter jet purportedly hit a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea, which led to the downfall of the unmanned aerial vehicle, as per the United States. However, Russia contradicted the accusation, claiming that the MQ-9 Reaper drone sharply changed course and plummeted into the water after a confrontation with Russian fighter planes that were scrambled to intercept it close to Crimea.
This development has amplified the tension between Russia and the United States concerning Moscow's involvement in Ukraine's conflict, marking the first incident since the Cold War era where an American aircraft has been taken down after a Russian warplane encounter.
John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, revealed that United States President Joe Biden was briefed on the event by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The U.S. State Department officials would communicate directly with their Russian equivalents and articulate their reservations about this unprofessional and unsafe intercept.
James B. Hecker, the U.S. Air Force General and the commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, revealed that the MQ-9 drone was on a routine mission in international airspace when it was hit by a Russian aircraft, which led to the crash and the drone's complete destruction. He further added that such an unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.
