Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the Su-27 pilots who poured fuel on the MQ-9 Reaper drone for state awards. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the awards will be given to pilots for preventing the violation of the borders of the special operation zone by US reconnaissance drones.
The loss of a drone worth nearly $60 million has led the Pentagon to consider the possibility of carrying out new reconnaissance missions in the Black Sea region with the help of the Reapers. CNN that Washington decided to analyze the overall costs and benefits of these missions, weighing the potential intelligence value of a particular route against the risk of escalating conflict with Russia.
At the same time, a number of senior US military officials are concerned about restrictions on reconnaissance drone flights over the Black Sea. In their opinion, this will affect the collection of intelligence related to the conflict in Ukraine and reduce the Pentagon’s awareness of the hostilities in the Russian special operation zone.
CNN also reported that Russia had already recovered some of the wreckage of the downed drone. As we talk about hull wreckage and small details. The most interesting details for military experts to study are at a depth of 900 meters, and judging by the activity of Russian ships, work is underway to raise them.
