Washington/Moscow, March 15, (dpa/GNA) – The US military said it was forced to crash its own unmanned surveillance drone into the Black Sea, after a Russian fighter jet intercepted it over international waters, and damaged the propeller.
The US European Command said the incident, which occurred at 0603 GMT Tuesday, was the result of “an unsafe and unprofessional intercept” on the part of the Russian aircraft.
The US State Department summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, to protest the encounter that took place in waters near Ukraine.
However, in Moscow, the Defence Ministry rejected the US military’s version of events. The ministry said the drone crashed in the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula, as the result of an abrupt manoeuvrer and that it was never hit by a Russian jet.
It said a Russian jets had been sent to identify an unknown intruder over the Black Sea, that threatened to cross into Russian territory.
“The Russian aircraft did not use on-board weapons, did not come
into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle, and returned
safely to their home airfield,” the ministry statement said.
According to the US military, two Russian Su-27 aircraft intercepted the MQ-9 drone as it conducted “routine operations.”
The Su-27s “dumped fuel on and flew in front of” the US aerial vehicle, before one of the Russian planes hit the propeller, the US European Command said, adding that the decision was then taken to intentionally crash the drone in the Black Sea.
Later, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the drone was no longer manoeuvrable, so US forces had to take it out of the sky and let it fall into the sea. He did not initially comment on the question of whether the aircraft could be recovered.
Ryder said the Russian jet also likely suffered damage.
The two Russian jet had stayed in the vicinity of the US drone for around 30 to 40 minutes, before the collision occurred, he said.
The large MQ-9 drone is controlled remotely and primarily used for reconnaissance, but can also perform precision strikes. It can stay in the air for long periods of time and has sensors that cover a wide area.
The Pentagon declined to provide more specifics as to what the drone’s mission was on Tuesday, and whether or not it was armed.
Earlier, the Russian military fired missiles at the centre of the major city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.
“The state of evil continues to fight against the civilian population,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, according to a statement circulated on social media.
At least seven people were injured and one killed in the attack, he said. Zelensky expressed his condolences to the relatives. These acts would inevitably lead to “just” punishments. Six apartment buildings were damaged by the missile strike, he said.
Just over a year ago, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The front line runs about 20 kilometres east of Kramatorsk.
Before the war began, more than 140,000 people lived in Kramatorsk. As of December, a good 80,000 people are said to remain there.
The heavily contested city of Bakhmut is about 30 kilometres from the city.
Ukraine’s military leadership on Tuesday resolved to not surrender the besieged city of Bakhmut to Russian forces.
All members of the top command unanimously agreed to continue defending the city after months of intense fighting, the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
“The defensive operation in this area is of the highest strategic importance to repel the enemy,” army chief Valery Zaluzhny wrote on Facebook. The defence of Bakhmut was key to protecting the entire front, he added.
Russian units, led by the notorious Wagner mercenary force, have been trying to capture the city at any cost, sending waves of ill-prepared convict recruits against fixed Ukrainian positions.
So far, the attackers have succeeded in pressing the town from three sides. Bakhmut is now considered to be largely destroyed, and both sides are said to have already suffered heavy losses in the fighting.
A Ukrainian advance in the Donetsk region to relieve Bakhmut is increasingly expected by the Russians. According to Russian reports, several Ukrainian brigades have been massed between the towns of Slovyansk and Kostyantynivka for this purpose.
So far, however, the mud that appears in the area in spring does not allow for quick advances off paved roads.
GNA