Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday described the recent crash of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Black Sea waters off Russia's Crimea as "serious and unfortunate
CHISINAU (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday described the recent crash of a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Black Sea waters off Russia's Crimea as "serious and unfortunate."
"Yesterday's incident involving a drone is serious and unfortunate," the president told reporters when asked to comment on the event.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday morning to intercept a US drone after it approached a Black Sea area near Crimea that was declared off limits at the start of the military operation in Ukraine. The drone, which had its transponders switched off, crashed into the water during a maneuver. The Russian military denied that its jets engaged the aircraft.
The US European Command said that a Russian Su-27 struck the drone's propeller during an "unsafe and unprofessional intercept," leading to the complete loss of the aircraft. Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder declined to say whether the crashed Reaper was armed but admitted it had such capability.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters it was not uncommon for US aircraft to be intercepted by Russian aircraft over the Black Sea.
The State Department summoned Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov to protest. The diplomat called the incident a US provocation.
