Russia claims US drone maneuvered sharply, crashed into water

Russia is claiming that the U.S. drone that Biden administration officials said was hit by a Russian fighter jet did not actually make contact with the warplane and instead maneuvered sharply and crashed into the Black Sea on its own. 

U.S. officials announced the incident on Tuesday, with White House national security spokesman John Kirby saying a Russian pilot’s actions were “unsafe and unprofessional.” 

U.S. European Command said the drone, an MQ-9 Reaper, was flying over international waters when two Russian fighter jets pursued it. The agency said one flew in front of the drone and dumped fuel on it, and one damaged the drone’s propeller, forcing it down. 

In response, the Russian Defense Ministry said the drone intruded in a region near Crimea that it had said is off limits. Russia has controlled the Crimean Peninsula since annexing it in 2014, and Ukraine has vowed to retake the region amid Russia’s invasion of the country. 

The ministry said the fighter jets did not fire any weapons, did not come into contact with the unpiloted drone and returned safely to their base. 

“As a result of a sharp maneuver, the MQ-9 drone went into unguided flight with a loss of altitude and crashed into the water,” the ministry said. 

Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, said the drone was a “provocation” that did not have any reason to be so close to Russia’s borders, adding that the warplanes did not fire upon or hit the drone. 

Kirby told Jake Tapper in an interview on CNN on Tuesday that the U.S. took steps to “protect our equities” with the drone and the public should take Russia’s denial with “a huge grain of salt.” 

“We obviously don’t want to see anybody getting their hands on it beyond us,” he said. 

U.S. officials have noted in the aftermath of the incident that it was unusual and have expressed some concern that it could lead to “unintended escalation” amid the war in Ukraine. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.