Russian fighter jets did not make contact with the American MQ-9 drone which crashed in the Black Sea. On this subject declared at the Russian Defense Ministry.
As explained in the department, on the morning of March 14, over the water zone of the Crimean Peninsula region, the airspace control means of the Russian Aerospace Forces detected an unmanned aerial vehicle flying towards the border of the country with transponders turned off.
“The flight was carried out in violation of the borders of the zone of the temporary regime for the use of airspace, established for the purpose of carrying out a special military operation, communicated to all users of international airspace and published in accordance with the international standards,” the ministry’s Telegram channel said.
To identify the drone, on-duty air defense force fighters were lifted into the air, the ministry said. According to the Ministry of Defense, “following sudden maneuvers, the American drone entered an uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the surface of the water”.
The ministry added that the Russian fighters did not use combat weapons against the U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle, did not make contact with it, and “returned safely to their home airfield.”
The Pentagon has confirmed that the MQ-9 did indeed fly over the Black Sea, as it was on a reconnaissance mission. If he was carrying weapons, the US Department of Defense declined to disclose, transmits RIA News.
“I do not intend to go into detail on the characteristics of this aircraft,” US Department of Defense spokesman Patrick Ryder said at a press briefing.
According to him, no one from the Pentagon, including its chief Lloyd Austin, has contacted Russian colleagues about the drone incident. “As far as I know, no such contact has taken place,” Ryder summed up.
Meanwhile, State Department spokesman Ned Price informed journalists that in connection with the incident, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov was summoned to the department. According to Price, in Moscow, US Ambassador Lynn Tracy sent a signal about Washington’s concern about the situation to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
