US Drone Crashes After Alleged Collision with Russian Fighter Jet

Facts

• US officials claim a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with an American military drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday. The US military says it brought down the drone in international waters and US Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the MQ-9 US drone was conducting “routine operations.”¹
• While the US European Command blamed the crash on an alleged “unprofessional act by the Russians,” Moscow claims a “sharp manoeuvre” [sic] caused the drone to crash. The Russian defense ministry also said that the US aircraft was flying with its transponders  - which allow aircraft to be tracked - off.²
• According to the US European Command, two Russian Su-27 fighter jets tracked the US surveillance drone as it flew in international airspace over the Black Sea. It also added that, prior to the collision, the jets “dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner.”³
• The Pentagon says the incident occurred at 7:03 am Central European time. While the MQ-9 is capable of carrying ammunition, Gen. Ryder wouldn’t disclose whether or not the fallen drone was armed.⁴
• Accounts of the incident in the Black Sea couldn’t be independently verified, and Russia claims it detected the damaged aircraft near the Crimea peninsula.⁵
• The incident has raised fears about the potential escalation risks involving Russia and the US, although Washington appears to be emphasizing de-escalation and referring to safe and professional aviation techniques.⁶

Sources: ¹CBS, ²BBC News, ³NBC, ⁴PBS NewsHour, ⁵Reuters and ⁶Vox.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Air force times. Russia’s dangerous and aggressive actions caused the US MQ-9 drone to crash, and Moscow’s recklessness could lead to an unintended military escalation. Russian jets antagonized the US drone and even dumped fuel on it. These actions are a complete violation of international protocols.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. Sharp maneuvers caused the American MQ-9 drone to crash as it irresponsibly flew toward Russia without an active transponder. The US clearly violated the restricted area established for the conduct of Russia’s special military operation. Now the US is trying to blame Russia — even though Russian fighters did not use weapons, nor did they come in contact with the US drones.