Washington claims a Russian plane caused the loss of their MQ-9 Reaper over the Black Sea on Tuesday. Moscow denies these accusations while denouncing the “hostile” American flights near the Russian borders.
Tensions over the Black Sea. In this area closely monitored by NATO since the start of the war in Ukraine, a Russian fighter plane hit an American drone on Tuesday March 14, the American army announced in the evening.
The United States immediately denounced an act “thoughtless” And “unique”, while the US State Department summoned the Russian ambassador. For its part, Moscow confirmed having intercepted the device, but denied being at the origin of its fall.
The Russian ambassador to the United States on Wednesday asked Washington to stop the flights “hostile” near the Russian borders. Franceinfo looks back on what we know about this incident.
An American drone “hit by a Russian plane”, according to Washington
For the United States, there is no doubt: a Russian Su-27 fighter plane struck an American MQ-9 Reaper drone on Tuesday March 14 over the Black Sea, while the latter “was performing routine operations in international airspace”. The accident has “resulted in the crash and loss of the MQ-9”said General James Hecker, commander of the American armed forces in Europe and Africa. This dangerous and unprofessional act of the Russians almost caused the crash of the two planes”denounced the military official.
The latter wanted to be firm: “U.S. and allied drones will continue to operate in international airspace”. He calls on the Russians to “behave in a professional manner”.
The drone was tracked from “thirty to forty minutes” by two Russian aircraft, says French General Jérôme Pellistrandi on franceinfo. According to the editor of Review National Defenseso it is a “deliberate action on the part of the Russians”.
A drone with a wingspan of 20 meters
The MQ-9 Reaper is an aircraft with a wingspan of around 20 meters and is remotely piloted, recalled France 2 during the July 14 parade where it made an unprecedented appearance last year. This is a “Male” drone (medium altitude long endurance) equipped with on-board sensors. It has a range of 2,500 kilometers and can fly for 24 hours in operational conditions.
After the incident, the drone was “unable to fly and uncontrollable”according to Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, who explains having “beaten down”.
It is not uncommon for NATO planes (American, French or British, for example) to monitor the area, specifies Jérôme Pellistrandi. “Obviously, the drone therefore fell in the middle of the Black Sea, that is to say in an area which is not under Russian jurisdiction”, he explains. “But, as we know, it is an airspace that can be disputed. (…) It is a serious incident which could lead to more tensions”, concludes the specialist.
The Russian ambassador summoned by the United States
The reaction was not long in coming from Washington. John Kirby, a White House spokesman, denounced a “rash act” from the Russians. While recalling that other interceptions of American drones by Russian planes have taken place in the past, he described this incident as “unique” insofar as it resulted in the loss of the Reaper drone.
In protest, the US State Department summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington. In addition, the US Ambassador to Moscow sent a message to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“Aggressive actions by Russian crews could lead to misunderstandings and unintended escalation”warned the US military in its initial press release. “We are in direct contact with the Russians, at the level of senior officials, in order to convey to them our strong objection to this interception”also told the press the spokesman for the American diplomacy, Ned Price.
Russia denies and calls on the United States to stop “hostile” flights
Moscow denied having caused the fall of the device, while acknowledging that two of its fighters had intercepted the American drone on Tuesday. “Following a brutal maneuver around 09:30 Moscow time (7:30 a.m. in France), the MQ-9 drone began an uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and struck the surface of the water”, assured the Russian Ministry of Defense. He claimed that his two fighters had not fired, had had no “contact” with the drone and “returned safely to their base”.
The Russian ministry also argued that the drone was detected “in the area of the Crimean Peninsula”which Moscow has and was advancing “in direction” of its borders. “We refute Russia’s denial”John Kirby later said on CNN, adding that the United States had “take action” to retrieve their device.
The Russian ambassador to the United States on Wednesday called on Washington to stop the flights “hostile” near the Russian borders. “We assume that the United States will refrain from further speculation in the media space and cease flights near Russian borders”Anatoly Antonov said in a statement on Telegram.