Lyce · Hybrid Watch
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Russian Su-27 fighter collides with U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, forcing its downing in international waters.
According to U.S. European Command, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone that was conducting what Washington described as a routine mission in international airspace over the Black Sea. The Russian aircraft repeatedly flew in front of the drone and dumped fuel on it in what U.S. officials called reckless and unprofessional manoeuvres, before one Su-27 struck the MQ-9’s propeller at approximately 07:03 CET, damaging it and forcing U.S. operators to bring the drone down into international waters. U.S. European Command and the Pentagon said the MQ-9 was operating well clear of Ukrainian territory and framed the incident as a “brazen violation of international law,” stressing that the drone was not inside any country’s territorial airspace when the collision occurred. Russia’s Ministry of Defence issued a conflicting account, claiming that the drone had entered an area near Crimea that Moscow had unilaterally declared off-limits for its “special military operation,” and that the MQ-9 crashed after a sudden manoeuvre without any physical contact from the fighters. The United States summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington to lodge a formal protest, while the U.S. ambassador in Moscow delivered a parallel démarche, and State Department and White House spokespeople warned that unsafe intercepts could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation between nuclear-armed states. U.S. military officials noted that this was the first time since the Cold War that a U.S. aircraft – even an unmanned one – had been brought down after direct contact with a Russian warplane, and released declassified video showing fuel dumping and the moment the drone’s camera feed was disrupted, to reinforce their version of events.
E/M/R/S scores
- EExistence0/4 · Not assessed
- MIntent0/4 · Not assessed
- RRussian actor link0/4 · Not assessed
- SRussian state responsibility0/4 · Not assessed
Facts
No facts
Sources
-
- Role
- discovery_lead
- Date
- 2023-03-13T23:00:00Z
According to U.S. European Command, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepted a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone that was conducting what Washington described as a routine mission in international airspace over the Black Sea. The Russian aircraft repeatedly flew in front of the drone and dumped fuel on it in what U.S. officials called reckless and unprofessional manoeuvres, before one Su-27 struck the MQ-9’s propeller at approximately 07:03 CET, damaging it and forcing U.S. operators to bring the drone down into international waters. U.S. European Command and the Pentagon said the MQ-9 was operating well clear of Ukrainian territory and framed the incident as a “brazen violation of international law,” stressing that the drone was not inside any country’s territorial airspace when the collision occurred. Russia’s Ministry of Defence issued a conflicting account, claiming that the drone had entered an area near Crimea that Moscow had unilaterally declared off-limits for its “special military operation,” and that the MQ-9 crashed after a sudden manoeuvre without any physical contact from the fighters. The United States summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington to lodge a formal protest, while the U.S. ambassador in Moscow delivered a parallel démarche, and State Department and White House spokespeople warned that unsafe intercepts could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation between nuclear-armed states. U.S. military officials noted that this was the first time since the Cold War that a U.S. aircraft – even an unmanned one – had been brought down after direct contact with a Russian warplane, and released declassified video showing fuel dumping and the moment the drone’s camera feed was disrupted, to reinforce their version of events.