U.S. officials confirmed on Thursday that Russian forces have arrived at the site of the American reconnaissance drone "MQ-9" that was downed in the Black Sea. The officials told CNN that it is unclear whether Russia was able to recover any remains of the drone upon reaching the crash site, which is located about 70 miles southwest of the Crimean Peninsula.
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, stated that the United States has made it "impossible for Russia to obtain any useful remains of the drone." However, he refused to confirm whether the Russians actually reached the site.
Moreover, Russia escalated its rhetoric towards the United States on Thursday, warning it against declaring war on the largest nuclear power. The Russian embassy in Washington quoted Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov stating on Twitter that targeting any Russian aircraft in international airspace would be considered a declaration of war on the world's largest nuclear power, referring to Russia.
Antonov added that any armed conflict between Russia and the United States would be fundamentally different from what he described as the proxy war being waged remotely against Russia in Ukraine.
Additionally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the provocations from the U.S., which disregard Russia's closures of areas in the Black Sea near Ukraine to all types of aircraft. Lavrov stated that Washington continues its provocations, which he deemed fraught with risks of direct confrontation between the two nuclear powers.
A call took place on Wednesday between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, with the Russian Defense Ministry stating that the conversation occurred at the request of the U.S. side. Following the call with Shoigu, Austin emphasized that his forces would continue to operate in the airspace available to them under international law. The U.S. Secretary stressed the necessity of communication between Washington and Moscow and urged Russia to operate its military aircraft safely and professionally, noting that Russian aircraft had engaged in reckless and irresponsible behavior over the Black Sea. Conversely, the Russian Defense Ministry indicated that Minister Shoigu confirmed to his U.S. counterpart that the drone incident was due to Washington's non-compliance with the restricted flight area declared by Moscow.
