US releases video of encounter between Russian fighter jets and US drone

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Pentagon —

The U.S. military released video on Thursday of a Russian military interception that resulted in the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone on Tuesday over the Black Sea.

The video shows a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 spilling fuel as it approaches the US MQ-9 drone from behind and passes overhead.

A second Sukhoi Su-27 approaches in the same way, and when it reaches the drone, the video feed is interrupted as the US military says the Russian fighter jet collided with the drone.

A final shot shows the restored video feed and that one of the drone’s propeller blades has been twisted.

The release of the video came a day after US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told his Russian counterpart about the encounter.

“The United States will continue to fly and operate wherever international law permits, and it is Russia’s responsibility to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner,” Austin told reporters after announcing that he had just “hung up”. with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

It was the first call between the two defense leaders since October, officials said.

Meanwhile, Poland has become the first NATO country to send fighter jets to Ukraine, agreeing to send four Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets to forces in Kiev in the coming days. The United States and other Western allies have so far balked at Kyiv’s demands for strike aircraft.

The downed US MQ-9 drone was “conducting routine operations” in international airspace on Tuesday, according to the US military, when the pair of Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets intercepted it. US forces shot down the drone in international waters after the Russian plane struck the drone’s propeller.

“We know the interception was intentional. We know the aggressive behavior was intentional. We also know it’s very unprofessional and very dangerous,” State Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told reporters on Wednesday. joint major.

Milley said he was “not sure yet” if the physical contact between the Russian plane and the drone was intentional.

Russia said it was considering trying to recover the drone, but US officials said its agents were able to remotely wipe the drone’s sensitive software to prevent Russia from collecting secret information before send the plane to the Black Sea.

The United States has no ships in the Black Sea, which is largely controlled by Russia.

“But we have lots of allies and friends in the area, and we will work through recovery operations. It’s American property,” Milley said.

Another senior US military official, General Erik Kurilla, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that since March 1, the United States has seen an increase in “unprofessional and dangerous behavior by the United States Army.” Russian tune”. flying over US bases in Syria “in an attempt to try to be provocative”.

Kurilla said Russia was trying to “renegotiate the deconfliction protocols it violates every day.”

Russia has denied that its Su-27 planes came into contact with the US drone and blamed the accident on the operation of the drone. A US military official told VOA that the unmanned MQ-9 had not yet been recovered. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday the United States summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the incident.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s Telegram channel reported on Wednesday that Shoigu blamed the incident on the “non-compliance by the United States with the restricted flight zone declared by the Russian Federation, which was established within the framework of ‘a special military operation’.

Earlier Wednesday, Austin and Milley hosted the 10th meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group more than a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The virtual meeting included 51 participants. Milley said the group promised “a wide range of air defense systems”, in addition to providing more artillery, armor and ammunition. For example, Sweden will provide 10 additional Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and Norway will partner with the United States to provide two additional National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS.

“Ukraine matters. It’s not just important to Ukraine or the United States, it’s important to the world. It’s about the rules-based international order,” Austin told reporters. reporters on Wednesday.

“Russia is running out of capabilities and friends,” he added. “Putin is still hoping he can wear down Ukraine and wait for us, so we can’t let go, and we won’t.”

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