US working to release video of Russian jet intercept, collision

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US is working to declassify video of what it said was an "unsafe" Russian intercept of an American drone above the Black Sea that led to the aircraft's downing, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The incident occurred after two Russian SU-27 fighter jets "conducted an unsafe and unprofessional intercept" of a US MQ-9 Reaper, including dumping fuel on the drone and flying in front of it "in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner," according to the US European Command.

The drone was conducting reconnaissance when one of the SU-27 jets struck the propeller of the MQ-9 Reaper at roughly 7.03 a.m. CET (0603GMT), prompting the drone's operators to bring it down in international waters.

Pentagon spokesperson Gen. Patrick Ryder said the Biden administration is now in the process of declassifying "imagery associated" with the incident, including video, as Russia said the American aircraft went into an uncontrolled flight, lost altitude and fell into the Black Sea following what it said was sharp maneuvering.

The Kremlin denied its aircraft came in contact with the drone. But Ryder said the SU-27 that crashed into the MQ-9 "likely" suffered some damage but was able to land at an unspecified site following the incident.

Asked if the US assessed that the collision occurred due to an accident on the part of the Russian pilot, Ryder said "we are continuing to assess exactly what happened but I think based on the actions of the Russian pilots, it's clear that it was unsafe, unprofessional."

"I think the actions speak for themselves," he added.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the matter by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, said the White House, which maintained that the US would not be deterred from conducting future aerial missions in the region.

"We're going to continue to fly and operate in international airspace over international waters. The Black Sea belongs to no one nation, and we're going to continue to do what we need to do for our national security interest in that part of the world," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

No one in the Pentagon has yet spoken to their Russian counterparts about the incident, said Ryder.