A Russian Su-27 fighter and an American MQ-9 Reaper drone collided over the Black Sea, causing the UAV to crash. However, soon the US Department of Defense also noted that the Russian aircraft did not remain unscathed.

On Tuesday evening, March 14, Russia rammed an American unmanned aerial vehicle over the Black Sea. Subsequently, the situation was commented by the representative of the US Department of Defense, Brigadier General of the Air Force Pat Ryder.

What did the Pentagon say?

According to the official, the Russian Su-27 carried out a very dangerous and unprofessional interception of an American UAV that was in international airspace. However, he also noted that it was not only the MQ-9 Reaper drone that was damaged as a result.

We saw the fighter drop fuel in front of the UAV and then get so close to it that it actually damaged the propeller of the MQ-9. According to our estimates, this probably also caused some damage to the Russian aircraft, said Pat Ryder.

At the same time, he stated that the drone operators were forced to make a decision to crash and eliminate the drone after a collision with a Russian fighter, since damage to the MQ-9 propeller made it uncontrollable.

Note! The Pentagon spokesman emphasized that this incident took place far from the territory of Ukraine. At the same time, we note that The New York Times wrote that this happened 120 kilometers from the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula.

Moscow did not find the wreckage of the American UAV

• The same Pat Ryder noted that Washington is preparing to publish a video of a Russian fighter jet colliding with an American drone. In addition, he focused on the fact that Russia failed to obtain the wreckage of the downed drone. Obviously, the US will do everything to prevent this from happening in the future.
• Also, a senior NATO commander, General Christopher Cavoli commented on the consequences of this incident over the Black Sea.
• According to him, all 30 states that are members of the North Atlantic Alliance are informed about what happened. At the same time, he condemned Moscow's actions, recalling that the US had already summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington to the State Department.