Moscow, 3 Mar (Xinhua) -- The website of the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a circular on the evening of 15 March saying that at the request of the US side, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had a telephone call with US Defense Secretary Austin on the same day to exchange views on the causes and consequences of the US drone crash in the Black Sea on 15 March.
The briefing said that Shoigu pointed out during the call that the reason for the incident was that the United States did not comply with the relevant regulations announced by the Russian side during the special military operation to establish a flight restriction zone, and increased intelligence activities aimed at Russian interests. The flight of US strategic drones off the coast of Crimea is provocative and will induce an escalation of the situation in the Black Sea region.
The briefing stated that the Russian side is not interested in developments, but will continue to respond accordingly to all provocations. At the same time, the nuclear Powers must take responsible steps wherever possible, including by maintaining military channels of communication to discuss any crisis situation.
The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement on the evening of the 14th, saying that earlier in the day, the Russian Aerospace Forces found a US MQ-9 UAV over the Black Sea waters around the Crimean Peninsula, when the drone was flying in the direction of the Russian border, and the transponder on board was turned off. The Russian Aerospace Forces on-duty fighter took to the air to identify the aircraft that invaded the airspace, and the drone lost control due to violent maneuvers, and fell into the water after losing altitude rapidly. The Russian fighter did not use airborne weapons, did not make contact with the US drone, and returned safely to the airfield.
The US European Command issued a statement on the 14th, saying that a US MQ-9 UAV was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 fighters over the Black Sea on the same day, and one of the fighters hit the propeller of the UAV, forcing the US military to crash the drone in the waters of the Black Sea. Before the impact, two Su-27 fighter jets had "repeatedly dumped fuel on the US drone and flew in front of it."