The statement made yesterday by the American army that an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the Black Sea after the intervention of Russian warplanes brought along the concern of rising tensions in the region. According to the statement of the American army, the US MQ-9 “Reaper” model unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into the Black Sea after colliding with the propeller of the Russian warplane Su-27. The Russian Ministry of Defense admitted that its planes followed the drone flying over the Black Sea, but argued that there was no direct contact between the planes and that the UAV crashed after a “hard maneuver”. After the incident, the Russian Ambassador to Washington was summoned to the US State Department.
KIRBY: “THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT”
BBC Diplomacy correspondent Paul Adams expressed his opinion that what happened yesterday is the most striking conflict between the USA and Russia since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, and said, “This marks a dangerous moment as well as many question marks.”
Adams quoted the US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby’s statement that there have been other “encounters” in recent weeks, but the last one was “different”.
“A SENSITIVE MOMENT FOR BIDEN”
Adams said the following about what happened:
“According to the Pentagon, the whole incident took about 30-40 minutes. According to Ryder, there was no direct communication between the American and Russian armies during that time. The US officials said that the Russian Su-27 jets involved in the incident were probably damaged, which means that “This is a sensitive moment for US President Joe Biden, who is determined to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
NEW YORK TIMES: THE ATTACK ON THE UAV WAS NOT EXACTLY AN ACCIDENT
Speaking to the New York Times, American officials think that the latest incident is not a sign that Russia has entered a more aggressive period.
A US official speaking to the newspaper thinks that the downing of the UAV was not a planned chess move by Russia. Other officials say the incident was not the kick-start of a larger strategy to harass US and NATO surveillance aircraft.
But the New York Times article continues:
“The attack on the UAV was not exactly an accident. For example, pouring gasoline in front of the vehicle was an intentional act. However, US officials think that the Russians did not intentionally tear off the propeller of the UAV, because it is not only the UAV, but also the Russian Su-27. It was a risky move that could have caused him to fall as well.”
“For months, senior U.S. officials had worried that an incident or miscommunication over the Black Sea would cause a bigger problem. Russian jets frequently intercept U.S. and allied aircraft over the Black Sea. U.S. officials say most of these incidents were handled professionally.”
WALL STREET JOURNAL: REACHING A UAV CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO TURKEY’S PROHIBITION
The Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, points out that it is not possible for the US to “rescue” the crashed drone:
“Rescuing the drone may be difficult. The US navy stopped its operations in the Black Sea shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Turkey, which controls the entry of ships into the Black Sea, closed the Bosphorus to the passage of warships after the war began. Russia, on the other hand, continues to use warships in the Black Sea”.
Retired lieutenant general Mark Hertling, speaking to CNN, commented that Russia frequently exhibits such actions over the Black Sea and sees the Black Sea as its own lake.
Qatar-based AL Jazeera also stated that such encounters between the US and Russia are “routine”.
RUSSIAN TASS AGENCY: ‘US UAV WAS COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE RUSSIAN ARMY’
Russian Tass news agency reports that Anatoly Antonov, the Russian Ambassador to Washington, said that the US UAV was conducting reconnaissance in the region on behalf of the Ukrainian army.
According to the Russian ambassador, the US drone was collecting intelligence for future attacks by the Ukrainian army on Russian soil and its army.
Antonov continued:
“The unacceptable actions of the US military in the region so close to our border are of concern to us. We know very well what these types of reconnaissance flights are for. What are they doing thousands of miles from the US? The answer is obvious – intelligence to be used by the Kiev regime to attack our lands and our army. to collect.”
“We want to continue from the fact that the United States will refrain from further speculation in the media and will also end its sorties near the Russian borders”.