U.S.
Military releases video showing an encounter between a surveillance drone and a Russian fighter
The United States military has released a declassified video showing an intense mid-air encounter between a Russian fighter and a U.S.
surveillance drone that lasted nearly 40 minutes.
The video, which was taken from the drone’s camera, shows a Russian military jet dumping fuel on the drone and then clipping its propellers before the drone crashed into the Black Sea.
This marks the first time since the Cold War that a U.S.
aircraft has gone down during an encounter like this.
The incident occurred over international waters in the Black Sea, just southeast of Ukraine, and U.S.
military officials say that Russian pilots have been more aggressive and engaging in “unprofessional moves” for the past two weeks.
U.S.
lawmakers are now calling for swift action against Russia, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has labeled the Russian behavior as reckless.
Paul Fritz, an associate professor of political science at Hofstra University, calls this behavior “extremely provocative” and warns that it could spark a bigger crisis given the tensions between the U.S.
and Russia over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russia, on the other hand, denies that its fighters had anything to do with the drone crash and claims that the drone went down after making a sharp maneuver.
Russian ships were reportedly at the site of the crash, attempting to retrieve what was left of the drone, but Pentagon officials say that even if Russia can retrieve the wreckage, there is likely nothing left of value.
This latest incident highlights the growing tensions between the U.S.
and Russia and the need for renewed efforts to renegotiate the deconfliction protocols to prevent dangerous encounters like this from happening in the future.
