Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin blasted Russia Wednesday for downing a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone on Tuesday over the Black Sea and vowed that such reconnaissance flights would continue.
Austin, speaking before allies, discussed aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia and branded the actions by pilots of the warplanes that forced the crash “dangerous, reckless and unprofessional.”
Did Russia take down a U.S. drone?
Two Russian fighter jets intercepted the drone in international airspace Tuesday morning local time. They dumped fuel on the drone, and one of the jets clipped the Reaper’s propeller. That forced operators to crash land it in the Black Sea, according to the Pentagon.
Previously:Russian fighter jet collides with US Air Force drone over Black Sea
The Pentagon shares intelligence it gathers with Ukrainian forces. Russia operates warships in the Black Sea and fires missile from them. Tuesday’s encounter is the first physical clash between Russia and the United States since the Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, raising tensions and concern about escalation.
What happens now?
U.S. reconnaissance flights will continue, Austin said.
“So make no mistake: The United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows,” Austin said. “And it is incumbent upon Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner.”
Austin said he spoke Wednesday with his counterpart, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, but declined to discuss details of the conversation. But Austin said he has repeatedly made clear that “great powers be models of transparency and communication.” He added that U.S. will continue to “fly and to operate wherever international law allows."
The Pentagon continues to review video from the encounter and intends to release an unclassified version, Austin said.
What's happening to the drone?
What's left of the drone is deep under the sea.
"We know where it landed," Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Wednesday.
It's unclear if the Russian pilot intended to strike the Reaper drone, forcing it to crash, Milley said. The drone broke up on impact and sunk in about four thousand feet of water, he said, complicating recovery by the U.S., its allies or the Russians. Mitigation efforts were undertaken to ensure sensitive information would be difficult to recover, he said.
There are no U.S. Navy vessels in the Black Sea, Milley said.
Russian forces have also harassed allied military forces, including Great Britain's, Milley said. Their motivation is unclear but U.S. intentions are not, he said.
“We do not seek armed conflict with Russia," Milley said.
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