Video contradicts Moscow's version of events

Source: Skai News Greece

The US Department of Defense released a video on Wednesday of a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet attacking the US MQ-9 "Reaper" drone over the Black Sea, contradicting Moscow's claim that it had any contact with the drone.

The Russian fighter jet can be seen in the video throwing fuel onto the MQ-9 drone before hitting it. The video abruptly stops. The video returns a few seconds later showing a damaged propeller.

BREAKING: DoD releases footage of a Russian Su-27 colliding into a U.S. MQ-9 over the Black Sea Tuesday.

You can see the Russian aircraft dump fuel on the MQ-9, then bump into it. The video is lost; a few seconds later the feed returns and you can see the propeller is damaged. pic.twitter.com/jzF7NZ1em5

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) March 16, 2023

In the meantime, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov has warned that a deliberate attack on a Russian aircraft in neutral airspace would be an open declaration of war against the world's largest nuclear power and could result in a nuclear holocaust.

"The Russian Defense Ministry detailed the reasons for the Russian pilots' actions during the Black Sea incident. To those who are not paying attention, I reiterate: our fighters did not come into contact with the American UAV," he was speaking about the loss of the American MQ-9 drone.

"Russia did everything possible to avoid such incidents, including timely informing the international community about the limits of the temporary airspace regime established for the 'special military operation,'" he said.

"Of course, the Pentagon's loss of an expensive piece of equipment is regrettable. However, in this case, the US military should accept responsibility for its unprofessional actions," Antonov remarked wryly.