The Russian Defense Ministry has announced an increased risk of conflict with NATO due to the United States' escalation of strategic drone operations over the Black Sea. These operations aim to monitor and target precision weapons supplied to Ukraine’s armed forces.
“This highlights the growing involvement of the US and NATO in the Ukraine conflict, siding with the Kyiv regime. Such flights significantly heighten the likelihood of airspace incidents with Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft, escalating the risk of a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. NATO countries will bear responsibility for this,” the ministry stated.
In response, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has instructed the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to prepare proposals for swift actions against what they term US “provocations” involving drone flights over the Black Sea.
Recently, the skies over the Black Sea have been quieter, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which has not reported any US drones in the area for several months. However, activity ramped up on June 23 when RIA Novosti, using data from Flightradar24, revealed an American RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone flying over the Black Sea during a missile attack on Sevastopol. The Russian Defense Ministry believes that American specialists operated long-range ATACMS missiles during this attack, using gathered intelligence.
On June 24, Russian Telegram channels, including Fighterbomber, reported that a US Global Hawk drone had been shot down over the Black Sea. Despite these reports, neither US nor Russian officials have officially confirmed this, and the Kremlin has refrained from commenting.
In March 2023, an incident involving a US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashing into the Black Sea made headlines. According to the US European Command, the drone was on a routine mission when intercepted by a Russian aircraft, leading to a mid-air collision. The Russian Defense Ministry countered this by denying any contact between their fighter jet and the drone, citing a violation of airspace rules instead.
Following the incident, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin affirmed that the United States would maintain its flight operations wherever international law permits. He also emphasized that Russian military aircraft must conduct themselves safely and professionally.
No comments:
Post a Comment