Just after a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone was forced down over the Black Sea after allegedly being hit by a Russian fighter jet, Moscow has denied reports that its aircraft came into contact with the drone.
According to a statement issued by the Russian defence ministry on Tuesday, the Russian aircraft did not use any on-board weapons or did not come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle over the Black Sea.
"On 14 March 2023 in the morning, the Russian airspace control systems have detected an American MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle flying over the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula in the direction of the state border of the Russian Federation," the statement, released in English, was quoted by CNN.
"The drone flew with its transponders off, violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation, communicated to all users of international airspace, and published in accordance with international standards," the ministry said. The ministry said that Russian fighter jets "scrambled to identify the intruder."
"As a result of quick manoeuvring around 9.30 a.m. (Moscow time), the MQ-9 drone went into an unguided flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface," the ministry said. "The Russian aircraft did not use onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle, and returned safely to their home airfield."
The US later summoned Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov to the State Department in Washington to convey its strong objections over the incident. US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy too conveyed a strong message to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, Anatoly Antonov, the Russian Ambassador to the US, the downed drone was moving "deliberately and provocatively towards" Russian territory with its transponders turned off. He said it violated the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation.
In his Telegram channel, Antonov said "the unacceptable actions of the United States military in the close proximity to our borders are cause for concern."
"We are well aware of the missions such reconnaissance and strike drones are used for," he said, accusing the US drone flights in the region of gathering intelligence which is later used by the Kyiv regime to attack our armed forces and territory.
Anatoly Antonov (centre) Russian ambassador to the United States, departs after meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Karen Donfried at the U.S. State Department in Washington | AP
Later, while talking to reporters after meeting the US State Department representatives, Antonov asked, "Could you imagine if such a UAV appeared suddenly close to New York or San Francisco?"
"Can you imagine the reaction of the US press, the Pentagon, to this drone? What kind of drone was it? Think about this before summoning me to the State Department. It's a multipurpose [drone], with strike capabilities of up to a 1700 kg explosive payload," he said. "Tell me how any MoD of any country would react to the threat of such danger appearing along their borders?"
Antonov did say he wanted to point out "how professional the Russian pilots were in their actions. No contact was made, nor were any weapons used by our fighter jets."
"I think it's better that we discuss at the State Department avenues of cooperation and mutual action, but unfortunately, my communication with the State Department lately has just been to address their protests about the actions of the Russian Federation," he said.
Meanwhile, the US said it was taking measures to ensure that the drone that was downed over the Black Sea won't fall into the wrong hands.
"Without getting into too much detail, what I can say is that we've taken steps to protect our equities with respect to that particular drone – that particular aircraft. And it’s the United States property. We obviously don't want to see anybody getting their hands on it beyond us," John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told CNN.
