The Russian Defense Ministry said on June 28 that the US is increasing its activities with strategic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) over the Black Sea, saying they “conduct intelligence operations and target precision weapons supplied by Western countries to the Ukrainian military to attack Russian facilities.”
“This highlights the growing involvement of the United States and NATO in the Ukrainian conflict... Such flights significantly increase the likelihood of incidents in the airspace of the Russian Aerospace Forces, increase the risk of direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. NATO countries will be held responsible for this,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
In response, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov instructed the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to prepare proposals for prompt action against what it called “provocative actions” by the United States regarding UAV movements over the Black Sea.
US Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk drone. Photo: Defence Blog
The skies over the Black Sea have been “quieter” lately, at least according to the Russian Defense Ministry, with no reports of any US drones in the region for several months.
However, the situation became tense on June 23 when Russian news agency RIA Novosti, using data from Flightradar24, revealed that a US RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone was flying over the Black Sea during a Ukrainian missile attack on Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian Defense Ministry believes that US specialists operated the long-range ATACMS missile in the attack, using collected intelligence. The attack killed four people and injured about 150, according to the Russian government. The Pentagon said Ukraine made the decision to target it on its own.
Just a day later, on June 24, Russian Telegram channels, including Fighterbomber, were abuzz with reports that a US Global Hawk drone had been shot down over the Black Sea. Despite a media frenzy, neither US nor Russian officials have officially confirmed this, and the Kremlin has declined to comment.
Back in March last year, the incident of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashing into the Black Sea made headlines. According to US European Command, the drone was on a routine mission when it was intercepted by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a mid-air collision.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied this by denying any contact between their fighter jets and the US drones.
Following the incident, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed that Washington will continue to fly wherever international law allows. He also stressed that Russian military aircraft must act safely and professionally.
Minh Duc (According to Bulgarian Military, AP)
Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/chi-dao-nong-cua-bo-truong-quoc-phong-nga-ve-tinh-hinh-bien-den-a670721.html
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