WASHINGTON: The United States (US) on Thursday released a video it said shows an “unprofessional” and “unsafe” intercept by Russian fighter jets when one hit a US drone, damaging its propeller. Moscow has denied responsibility for the incident, which the US says left its drone uncontainable and needed it to be taken down in the Black Sea. The released 42-second video – which the American military says has been edited for length — shows a Su-27 fighter jet bearing down MQ-9.
US Releases footage of drone crash
Russia’s ministry for defense said it had scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday following detecting a US drone over the Black Sea, but refused causing the incident, adding the aircraft had lost control. The US Defense Department the US drone was on a routine mission when it was intercepted in an “unprofessional and reckless” manner.
The recent incident has intensified tensions between Russia and Western allies, already soaring over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but top military officials from the US and Russia have been in contact.
Earlier, the US Defense Secretary spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu regarding the destruction of a drone over the Black Sea. Reports said that it was the first direct contact between the US and Russian Defense Ministers since October.
According to media reports that Austin and Shoigu were holding talks underscored the seriousness of the issue. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that he also wanted to hold talks to Russia’s chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov soon. The US and Russian defense ministers first spoke regarding the war in Ukraine in May 2022 while the two top defense officials also spoke twice in last October.
