US releases footage from drone intercepted by Russia over Black Sea

The Pentagon has launched the primary footage from the surveillance drone that crashed over the Black Sea, exhibiting Russian fighter jets passing near the unmanned plane and dumping gasoline on it.

The 42-second color video clip was launched amid a dispute over what passed off within the Tuesday incident, which additional raised tensions between Washington and Moscow in opposition to the backdrop of warfare in Ukraine.

The video exhibits two Russian fighter jets making high-speed passes and each spraying gasoline on the drone. The US army stated these have been the ultimate two passes of the Su-27 plane earlier than the American drone crashed and that each jets concerned within the incident have been captured within the clip.

Through the second method proven within the footage, the US army stated one fighter jet collided with the drone, although this can’t be seen within the video. The influence took the American drone’s digital camera feed down for about 60 seconds. When the video is restored, one of many drone’s propellers seems to be broken.

Russia has denied downing the US drone, saying it misplaced management “because of a pointy manoeuvre” and crashed into the ocean with out Russian involvement.

The incident prompted a uncommon telephone name on Wednesday between US defence secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. The US chair of the joint chiefs of workers, Basic Mark Milley, additionally spoke along with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov to lift considerations in regards to the episode.

The US State Division summoned the Russian ambassador to the US to denounce the incident, which the Biden administration has described as “unsafe”, “unprofessional” and “reckless”.

The US army stated the video was edited for size however confirmed the occasions in sequential order. Army officers have stated two Russian fighter jets flew close to the MQ-9 for about 30 to 40 minutes earlier than one of many jets collided with it and brought on it to crash.

Russia’s defence ministry stated late on Wednesday that Shoigu advised Austin the incident passed off as a result of the US violated Russia’s flight restriction zone off the coast of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

He described drone flights as “provocative” and creating “conditions for escalation”. Russia, he stated, was not interested by escalation, however would proceed to “reply proportionately to all provocations”.

Ukrainian nationwide safety chief Oleksiy Danilov stated the incident signalled Kremlin’s “readiness to broaden the battle zone”.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the US Nationwide Safety Council, stated on Thursday that whereas the video bolstered the People’ model of occasions, the Biden administration nonetheless doesn’t know whether or not the Russian fighter jet deliberately hit the US drone.

“At finest, it’s reckless flying; at worst it’s reckless and incompetent. We don’t know whether or not it was additionally intentional . . . and have made clear on many events we don’t search a battle with Russia,” he stated.

Any airspace restrictions claimed by Russia “are usually not authorized”, Kirby added. “We’re going to proceed to fly and function in accordance with worldwide legislation.”

Further reporting by Polina Ivanova in Berlin