Xavier Roger
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The Pentagon released footage of what it says is a Russian aircraft dumping fuel on an unmanned U.S. drone, damaging the propeller and forcing U.S. controllers to crash land device in the Black Sea on Tuesday.
“Two Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept with a U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unmanned MQ-9 Reaper operating within international airspace,” the Pentagon said in a release issued with the video.
The incident further escalated tensions between two global powers already sharply at odds since Russia’s bold invasion of Ukraine that has spurred the United States into providing billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.
Meanwhile Thursday, Poland announced plans to send fighter jets to Ukraine, becoming the first ally to do so.
DRONE INCIDENT:Russian fighter jet damages US Air Force drone over Black Sea
How American, Russian officials responded to drone incident
Russian military authorities said they will attempt to retrieve and study the wreckage of the American MQ-9 drone, which is the size of a small plane. The drones can be armed with Hellfire missiles, but officials said this drone was not armed.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the drone sank into waters more than 4,000 feet deep. He said it probably broke up and that “mitigating measures” were taken to ensure no intelligence could be accessed.
Two Russian SU-27 fighters intercepted the drone Tuesday, demonstrating a “lack of competence,” according to a statement from U.S. European Command. The initial statement said that one of the fighters struck the propeller of the drone, “nearly caused both aircraft to crash” and forced U.S. operators to bring the drone down in international waters.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its fighter jets were trying to identify the “intruder” flying near Crimea when the drone’s own abrupt maneuvering caused it to crash. The ministry accused the U.S. of provoking the incident, saying the American drone flew with its transponders switched off and “violating the borders” established by the Kremlin due to the war.
DRONE SALVAGE ATTEMPT:Russia to try to salvage wrecked US drone; Gen. Milley says ‘not a lot to recover’: Ukraine war updates
Poland the first ally to send fighter jets to Ukraine
Poland announced plans to provide Ukraine with a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the first ally to fulfill the longstanding request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Polish President Andrzej Duda, speaking Thursday at a news conference in Warsaw, said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes within days, the rest will be inspected and supplied later.
On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country could provide Ukraine with MiG-29 fighter jets within four to six weeks if a coalition of allies signs off on a plan. Duda did not discuss which, if any, other countries might have joined his coalition, but Slovakia has said it also was willing to send MiGs to Ukraine.
The U.S. and NATO have balked at Zelenskyy’s request in the past amid concerns of expanding the war. President Joe Biden previously declined the request for fighters, but White House officials have not ruled out such deliveries in the future.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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