The US European Command has released declassified video of the US MQ-9 Reaper drone which crashed in the Black Sea on March 14.
How complaints command, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets carried out a “dangerous and unprofessional” interception of a US Air Force reconnaissance drone that was in international airspace over the Black Sea.
According to the American version, one of the Russian planes dropped fuel twice in front of the drone, then rammed the drone, damaging one of its propellers. After that, as noted, the US Air Force had to flood the damaged drone.
The US State Department has previously said the collision of a Russian plane with a US drone likely happened unintentionally due to the incompetence of Russian pilots.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the drone crash, but did not report a collision. The head of the department, Sergei Shoigu, said that the cause of the incident was the actions of the United States in non-compliance with the flight restriction zone established by the Russian Federation due to.
Russian Federation Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Russia would try to lift the debris from the bottom of the Black Sea. According to ABC News sources, the Russian military likely already has them. Which parts of the drone managed to be lifted off the bottom is unknown.
In Washington, they said they had “taken measures” to protect the drone. CNN sources claimed that all “sensitive data” was remotely deleted from the drone.