The US military has released footage of a Russian aircraft colliding with one of its drones over the Black Sea.
The US said damage to the large drone meant it had to be brought down in waters off Crimea on Tuesday.
Russia denies that its Su-27 fighter jet clipped the drone’s propeller, but the video appears to back up the US version of events.
It was in the Pentagon’s interest to release the video — at least to corroborate its version of events.
JEE News did not see the events before or after the collision. The US initially said the confrontation lasted about 30-40 minutes, but the footage released lasted less than a minute.
On Wednesday night, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “We are confident in the facts that we have presented so far.”
“Then the Pentagon is looking at what videos can be released,” he said. It’s not unusual for the military to take some time to declassify video footage before making it public.
Mr Austin has previously described Russia’s actions as dangerous and reckless – and the redacted video released appears to back that up.
A feed from a camera mounted under the surveillance drone’s fuselage shows a Russian Su-27 making two extremely close passes while releasing what appears to be fuel as it approaches.
At first pass it seems to smudge the camera lens. Another pass is even closer – remotely interrupting the video feed from the piloted aircraft.
When the image comes back, one blade of the drone’s propeller can be seen bent out of shape at the back of the plane.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told JEE News that it was unclear whether the Russian action was deliberate or accidental.
But he said it didn’t matter because the actions were “completely inappropriate, unsafe and unprofessional”.
He said surveillance flights over the Black Sea would continue, but military escorts were not required, which he said were unnecessary and would put pilots at risk.
Russia claims the drone was approaching its territory, but all we can see from the video is the sea, sky and clouds.
Moscow suggested on Tuesday that it had imposed a unilateral no-fly zone over the region as part of its invasion of Ukraine.
Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the US, said the drone “violated the limits of the temporary airspace established for a special military operation”.
But Mr Kirby said the airspace was international and not restricted.
In a statement released hours after the crash, the US said Russian jets had fueled the drone several times before it crashed.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pete Ryder told reporters that the drone was “unflyable and uncontrollable”, adding that the Russian aircraft was also damaged in the collision.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the drone crashed after a “sharp maneuver” and that it was flying with its transponders (communications equipment) turned off.
The Kremlin has not yet reacted to the release of the US video. On Wednesday, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Petroshev said efforts were being made to locate and retrieve the remains of the drone.
According to JEE News, Russian ships were spotted at the site of the downed drone over the Black Sea on Thursday.
Mr Kirby said the US was also looking for the aircraft, but stressed that if Russia were to defeat them, “their ability to exploit useful intelligence would be greatly reduced”.
That message was echoed by the top U.S. military general, General Mark Milley, who said the U.S. had taken “minimum measures” to ensure that downed drones cost nothing.
