Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov revealed on Wednesday that Russia views the incident involving a Russian Su-27 fighter jet and a U.S. military drone over the Black Sea as a provocation. Antonov stated in remarks published on the embassy's website, "The American drone was provocatively and deliberately flying towards Russian territory, and its transmission and reception devices were turned off."
Antonov informed Russian agencies on Tuesday, after the U.S. State Department summoned him, "We regard this incident as a provocation." The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) reported that a Russian Su-27 collided with the propeller of the American MQ-9 drone, leading to its crash in the Black Sea on Tuesday. This incident is the first of its kind since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine over a year ago. Russia denied any collision and stated that the drone crashed after a "sharp maneuver."
Antonov said, "The unacceptable activity of the U.S. military near our borders raises concerns. They collect information that the Kyiv government subsequently uses to launch attacks on our armed forces and our territories." Russian news agency reports indicated that Antonov described the meeting at the U.S. State Department as "constructive," adding that the issue of "potential consequences" for Russia due to the incident was not addressed.
The embassy quoted Antonov as saying, "We believe it is important to keep lines of communication open. Russia does not seek confrontation and supports practical cooperation regarding the interests of the peoples of both countries."
