Russia on Saturday said that it scrambled a Su-30 fighter jet to “prevent a violation of the Russian state border” by a US Reaper MQ-9 military drone over the Black Sea. “As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign reconnaissance drone performed a U-turn away from the border,” the Russian defense ministry said, as per news agency AFP. According to the ministry, the drone belonged to the US Air Force. “The Russian aircraft returned safely to its air base, there was no violation of the border,” it added, as quoted by AFP.


Earlier in May, Moscow said it had intercepted four US strategic bombers above the Baltic Sea in two separate incidents in the span of one week. Tensions arose between Moscow and Washington in mid-March when another US Reaper drone crashed after colliding with a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.


According to Russia, it has intercepted French, German, Polish, and British aircraft.


The fresh incident comes as Russia continues its offensive against Ukraine and is witnessing counterattacks in the form of drone operations to hit key targets.


A Ukrainian marine drone carrying explosives weakened a Russian fuel tanker overnight near a bridge connecting Russia to seized Crimea, both sides stated on Saturday, news agency Reuters reported.


No one was injured, but the Crimea Bridge and boat service were shut down for many hours, according to Russian-installed officials in Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.


Reuters cited a Ukrainian intelligence source as informing that the drone carrying 450 kg of explosives struck the SIG vessel when it was transporting fuel for the Russian troops in Ukrainian territorial waters.


"The tanker was well loaded with fuel, so the 'fireworks' were seen from afar," a source said, as per Reuters.


On Friday, the Ukrainian navy damaged a warship for the first time in a marine drone strike on Russia's military base in Novorossiysk.


According to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in Ukraine's southern district of Zaporizhzhia, the SIG tanker had been transporting oil to Russian forces in Syria.


MORE ON IT: Ukrainian Sea Drone Strikes Russian Fuel Tanker Near Crimea Bridge: Report


Subscribe And Follow ABP Live On Telegram: https://t.me/officialabplive