Russian Defence Minister decides to decorate pilots who shot down US drone
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has decorated the Su-27 pilots who shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
Source: Russian Defence Ministry
Details: The Russian Defence Ministry announced the existence of an "airspace area of temporary use established for the purpose of a special military operation" that the MQ-9 Reaper allegedly violated.
The invaders claim that the MQ-9 Reaper drone flew into this "area" with its transponders turned off and that Su-27 pilots "prevented the violation".
The Russian Defence Ministry said that it had informed users of the "boundaries" of the airspace, where it had imposed "restrictions".
Quote from Russian Defence Ministry: "In order to identify the intruder, fighters from the air defence forces on duty were taken off.
As a result of sharp manoeuvring at around 9:30, the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into an uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface.
The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not engage the UAV, and returned safely to their home airfield."
Background:
- The US Air Force issued a statement on 14 March, in which it was reported that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet damaged an American MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and strike UAV over the Black Sea during an interception, as a result of which the drone had to be sunk.
- The US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, noted that while Russian intercepts of US aircraft over the Black Sea are not uncommon, Tuesday's episode was unique regarding how "dangerous, unprofessional and reckless" Russia’s actions were.
- The Russian Defence Ministry stated on the evening of Tuesday that their Su-27 fighter jets had nothing to do with the crash of the MQ-9 Reaper American UAV in the Black Sea. In addition, they said it approached annexed Crimea and was flying in violation.
- The US Department of Defense, in turn, said it was working to declassify visual information related to the incident in the international airspace over the Black Sea.
- The US military published a video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet attacking the MQ-9 Reaper American UAV over the Black Sea.
- The US is conducting an assessment of its drone operations in the Black Sea area following the incident. It is "taking a close look" at the drone’s routes and assessing how to better deconflict with Russian forces.
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