Russian jets force down U.S. drone over Black Sea, military says

In this handout photograph from the U.S. military, an MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, Dec. 17, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Haley Stevens)

The incident prompted Air Force drone pilots to bring down the MQ-9 Reaper in international waters in what U.S. officials said has become a “pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots” while interacting with American and allied aircraft in international airspace. The actions, U.S. military officials said in a statement, “could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation” between the two countries.

“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” said Maj. Gen. James B. Hecker, a senior military official overseeing Air Force operations in the region. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”

"This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional," it added.

The incident comes amid soaring Russian-U.S. tensions over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking Tuesday during a meeting with workers at a helicopter factory in southern Siberia, again called the conflict in Ukraine an existential one for Russia, unlike the West, which, he said, was seeking to advance its geopolitical influence.

“For us, it’s not a geopolitical task,” Putin said, “it’s the task of survival of Russian statehood and the creation of conditions for the future development of our country.”