By Jeanne Plaumann
A US drone (type “MQ-9 Reaper”) and a Russian military jet collided near Ukraine on Tuesday. This was announced by the European Command of the United States. “Politico” had previously reported.
► During the incident, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet hit the propeller of the American drone, prompting US forces to crash it in international waters.
The drone flew over the Black Sea – an area prone to intense NATO military activity due to the Russian invasion.
Before the collision, both Russian jets that were close to the drone “dumped fuel and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, polluting and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence and is also unsafe,” the US Army said.
And further: This “follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots when interacting with US and allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea. These aggressive actions by the Russian flight crew are dangerous and could lead to miscalculations and unintended escalations.”
General James B. Hecker, commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, said that “this unsafe and unprofessional behavior by the Russians … nearly resulted in the downing of both aircraft.”
Defense circles said that the intention of the Russian pilots could not be ruled out. However, this is unlikely because the collision at this altitude also endangered the safety of the Russian aircraft and its crew.
According to BILD information, the Russian jet was able to return to the military base after the collision. The commander of the United States European Command, Christopher G. Cavoli, has informed the NATO partner countries about the incident.