According to Moscow, two Russian fighter jets were sent “to prevent a possible violation of the Hawk border.”
Both were carrying out an “aerial reconnaissance mission in the region of Crimea,” which Russia annexed in 2014.
The Russian Ministry of Defense added, in a statement, that after the arrival of the Russian planes, “the drones changed direction” and “left the air reconnaissance areas.”
Speaking to CNN, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Garon Garn confirmed that the United States “will continue to conduct routine missions over the Black Sea, as permitted by international law, to ensure freedom of navigation and maneuver in the region.”
Incidents between Russian aircraft and UAVs of the United States or NATO have multiplied over the past few months, both in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea.
And last July, for two consecutive days, Russian planes tracked American spy planes in Syrian airspace, with maneuvers that endangered the safety of these planes.
Most recently, on August 5, Russia sent a fighter jet to intercept another MQ-9A drone over the Black Sea.
w/ portuguese
