The Russian military acknowledged that two of its fighters had intercepted a U.S. drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, but insisted that they had not hit or downed it, contrary to what Washington had reported.
• Read more: Russian warplane shoots down US drone over Black Sea
“Following a sudden maneuver, at around 9:30 a.m. Moscow time (6:30 a.m. GMT), the MQ-9 drone lost altitude and began an uncontrolled flight, striking the surface of the water,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
“The Russian fighters did not use their weapons, did not interact with the drone and returned safely to their base,” the ministry added.
He said the drone flew “with transponders turned off” and violated “the zone of the provisional regime for the use of airspace established to carry out special military operations” in Ukraine, which led to the interception.
According to the ministry, the existence of this airspace designated for Russian military operations “has been communicated to all users of international airspace and published in accordance with international standards”.
The Russian ministry says the drone was detected “in the area of the Crimean Peninsula” and that it was advancing “in the direction” of the borders of the Russian Federation.
