The US Department of Defense released a video from the MQ-9 Reaper drone lost over the Black Sea, which fell due to the actions of Russian aircraft. Thanks to the video, it can be assumed that the drone was at the main Russian base in the occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian military portal Defense Express noticed that the video has certain details that allow localizing the place of events. The coastline got on the video.

American UAV could conduct optical reconnaissance

“Thanks to the Google Earth service, it is possible to compare the relief and establish that, most likely, we are talking about an area southwest of Sevastopol. As indicated by an outbreak from the water surface of the Chernorechensky reservoir and the top of the Crimean Mountains,” the message says.

According to Defense Express, the American drone really came close to the Russian base. The portal notes that the American UAV could conduct optical reconnaissance thanks to cameras.

The MQ-9 Reaper drone was at the main Russian base in the occupied Crimea / Photo by Defense Express

“The drone's field of vision was not only the main naval base of the Russians, but also the air bases near Sevastopol, in particular, Belbek,” the analysts added.

The US said that the MQ-9 Reaper was in neutral airspace, that is, at least 22 kilometers from the coastline. At the same time, even if the drone crossed the border, it would be the border of Ukraine.

Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express, said on the air of the telethon that the American drone was performing reconnaissance missions, including optical reconnaissance.

According to him, Sevastopol is the heart of the Russian army in the occupied Crimea. In particular, there is an extensive base of the navy and the Belbek airbase.

“Given the capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper optical camera, which has an extremely high resolution and can notice and localize objects at a distance of more than 40 kilometers, all the information that Russia is doing in the occupied Crimea was known and collected,” he said.

What is known about the incident with the American MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Black Sea

• The American UAV disappeared in the early morning of March 14 when one of the Russian Su-27s crashed into the propeller of the drone. The United States had to sink the drone and it is not yet known whether its wreckage can be raised to the surface.
• A video released by the US Department of Defense showed a Russian Su-27 approaching the drone and dumping fuel, during a second attempt it flew as close to the drone as possible, after which one of the MQ-9 Reaper propeller blades was damaged.
• Despite this, the drone continued to fly, but the operators decided to destroy it.
• After that, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov was summoned to the US State Department. He managed to justify himself for the incident and stated that no one threatened him.
• Moreover, the United States said that even after Russia shot down their drone, they will continue to perform identical flights, since they are not prohibited. In addition, Washington believes that the collision of the drone and the Russian aircraft was unintentional.