New Delhi: The US Air Force said that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet struck the propeller of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash into the Black Sea in an incident condemned as "reckless" by the US military.


"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," US Air Force General James Hecker, who oversees the US Air Force in the region, said in a statement, reported AFP.


"In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash," the statement read.


Here's what we know so far about the incident:



  • The United States on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador to Washington after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet downed a US military drone over the Black Sea, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.


  • Price told reporters over the phone that the US ambassador to Moscow has sent a strong message to Russia's foreign affairs ministry and that the US officials had briefed allies and partners over the incident.


  • Russia's defence ministry, on the other hand, denied US' allegation and said that its fighter jets did not come into contact with the US drone, claiming instead that the drone crashed due to "sharp maneuvering".


  • US President Joe Biden was briefed about the incident on Tuesday, White House spokesman John Kirby said.


  • John Kirby said the incident wouldn’t deter the US from continuing their missions in the area. “If the message is that [the Russians] want to deter or dissuade us from flying, and operating in international airspace, over the Black Sea, then that message will fail,” Kirby said, adding “that is not going to happen”.


         “We’re going to continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters,” he said. “The Black Sea belongs to            no one nation.”



  • On Tuesday, Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, said, "We view this incident as a provocation."


  • Antonov said his meeting at the State Department was "constructive" and the issue of possible "consequences" for Moscow over the incident was not raised, Reuters reported citing Russia's state news agency RIA.


        "As for us, we do not want any confrontation between the United States and Russia. We are in favour of building pragmatic                       relations for the benefit of the Russian and American peoples," Antonov was quoted as saying.


(With inputs from agencies)