Reaper UAV conducted reconnaissance in the interests of Ukraine
Fears about miscalculations intensified after an incident involving a Russian fighter jet and an American drone over the Black Sea. The US accuses Russia of «unsafe and unprofessional» intercepting an MQ-9 Reaper UAV over waters west of Crimea. Moscow denies any collision and speculates that the American drone crashed due to operator mishandling. And Western experts admit that Russia has the right to thwart aid to its adversary.
Western media continue to actively discuss the fall of the American Reaper drone into the Black Sea, for which the US command blames the Russian fighter, which allegedly made, according to the US military, an “unsafe and unprofessional” interception.
The US European Command said in a statement that the collision occurred just after 7 a.m. Tuesday, when two Russian Su-27 fighter jets flew towards an MQ-9 Reaper drone over international waters west of Crimea. The statement said that the Russian pilots tried to interfere with the American drone before the collision.
“Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel and flew in front of the MQ-9s in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,” the US military said in a statement. “This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional.”
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said the Russian aircraft were in close proximity to the drone for about half an hour.
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The crash of a $32 million U.S. drone has sparked a race to recover the wreckage as it contains some of America's most advanced technology, writes The Guardian.
“As far as I know, the Russians have not obtained this aircraft at this time,” General Ryder said Tuesday afternoon.
A US European Command statement warned: “These aggressive actions by Russian aircrew are dangerous and could lead to miscalculations and unintentional escalation.”
“Our MQ-9 was in routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and shot down by a Russian aircraft, resulting in the crash and total loss of the MQ-9,” said Gen. James Hecker, US Air Force Commander for Europe and Africa.< /p>
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in turn that the Russian fighters did not use airborne weapons and did not come into contact with the American drone. The Russian military department reported that fighters of the air defense forces were raised into the air to identify the drone, which was heading towards the state border of the Russian Federation.
“As a result of sharp maneuvering around 9.30 (Moscow time), the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into an uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that its fighters returned safely to their base.
This is the first clash between Russian and NATO aircraft since the conflict in Ukraine began, but it highlighted the danger of a clash leading to an escalation due to mistake or miscalculation as Russia and NATO forces deploy more and more military hardware around Ukraine.
“My biggest concern, both there and in the Pacific, is that an aggressive Russian or Chinese pilot or ship’s captain will get too close, not understand where they are, and cause a collision,” the head said. United States Marine Corps Gen. David Berger.
At the White House on Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: «This is certainly not the first interception in recent weeks.» But he added: “This is the first time an interception has resulted in the loss of one of our drones.”
He said Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident, and State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US had summoned the Russian ambassador. Anatoly Antonov to “transmit our strong objections.”
Washington is assured that the American drone was operating over international waters and that the collision will not prevent American forces from patrolling the Black Sea. «The US will continue to operate in international airspace over international waters,» Kirby said. “The Black Sea belongs to no one.”
The Russian spokesman later said that Moscow viewed the incident as a “provocation,” but stated that Moscow did not want a confrontation with the US.
Dara Massicot, a senior political researcher at the Rand Corporation, notes that the incident was only the latest in a long series of episodes over the years of what she called «forced signaling» by Russian troops.
But apparently, Washington is aware that that the stigma of the American military turned out to be down. According to The Guardian, Mary Ellen O'Connell, a professor at Notre Dame Law School and an expert on international law and the use of force, said the US had not called the interception «illegal.» “In all likelihood, Reaper conducted surveillance in the interests of Ukraine. Under the laws of armed conflict, Russia can thwart such assistance,” O'Connell states.