Chinanews.com, March 3 -- "Due to the depth of the Black Sea into which the MQ-17 drone crashed, we have not yet found the wreckage of the drone and may never find it." White House spokesman John Kirby said.

A few days ago, the US UAV MQ-9 "Reaper" "collided" with Russian fighters over the Black Sea, and the US military released a video of a Russian fighter hitting the US drone on the 16th.

"May never be found"

US-Russia scramble for drone wreckage?

According to CNN, citing anonymous officials, the United States has sent another drone to the Black Sea MQ-9 drone crash site and is reassessing its drone operations in the region, weighing the possible benefits and risks associated with such flights.

Until this analysis is completed, the US military does not intend to completely stop drone flights in the Black Sea region, the sources said.

Shortly after the drone crash, the United States sent the same type of MQ-9 Reaper to the region. Its main task is to inspect the scene of the accident, as well as observe the Russian military and their attempts to salvage the wreckage of drones from the bottom of the sea.

Data map: On November 2022, 11, an MQ-4 Reaper drone waits to fly on the US-Mexico border.

White House spokesman John Kirby also said in an interview that because the depth of the Black Sea into which the MQ-9 Reaper drone fell is very deep, the wreckage of the drone has not been found and may never be found.

"I'm not sure if I'll ever get the drone back. The Black Sea it fell into was very, very deep. So, we're still evaluating whether we can find it. Maybe there's no way. Kirby said.

For the salvage of the MQ-9 "Reaper" drone wreckage, Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on the 15th, "We know where it fell in the Black Sea." Probably 4000,5000 to <>,<> feet of water... At this depth, it may have disintegrated. Frankly, there may not be much to salvage. ”

Although the US military has drones, it does not have any warships in the Black Sea and has no advantage, and the Russian warship has arrived at the crash site of the MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Black Sea, trying to find the wreckage for further research.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on the 16th that this is "the privilege of the military" and "if they think it is necessary for our interests and security in the Black Sea, they will do so."

Komoedov, former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, said on the 15th that the Russian Navy's submarine force has the ability to salvage the drone, but Russian personnel "face the risk of being attacked by the Ukrainian side" during the salvage process.

"The undercurrent is raging"

The Black Sea has become the focus of attention for all parties

Bordering Russia and Ukraine, as well as Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, the Black Sea is an important link between Russia and Ukraine and the Mediterranean.

After the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, hot spots on the Black Sea appeared frequently. The cruiser "Moskva" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet caught fire and sank in the Black Sea, the Crimean bridge exploded ...

According to the New York Times, citing US officials, the importance of the Black Sea goes beyond the military contest of geopolitical and economic interests of Ukraine and Russia.

Data map: On June 2017, 6, Russian Su-19 fighters intercepted a US RC-27U reconnaissance aircraft in the air.

In February 2022, Turkey closed its straits between the Mediterranean and Black Seas to warships from any country without a home port on the Black Sea coast. Since then, NATO ships have not been able to enter the Black Sea. Although US warships cannot enter the Black Sea, over the Black Sea, NATO reconnaissance aircraft have not stopped monitoring the Russian-Ukrainian front.

In November 2022, the United States deployed eight Reaper drones to the Larissa airbase in Greece for a period of 11 year to strengthen UAV reconnaissance clusters in the Black Sea-Ukraine direction, TASS reported.

Turkish Defense Minister Akar said earlier that the country is discussing preparing to allow the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer to pass through the Turkish-controlled Bosphorus and Dardanelles to enter the Black Sea to "dispose" with the wreckage of the MQ-9 Reaper drone that crashed to the bottom of the sea.

"Relations between the two countries are in a deplorable state"

The incident continued to ferment, and the United States and Russia continued to speak ruthlessly

After the accident, US Secretary of Defense Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had an emergency call on the 15th, and the two sides had their own words.

Infographic: U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin.

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said the U.S. is not affected by the collision and will continue to fly and operate anywhere international law allows.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that "the flight of US strategic drones near the coast of Crimea is provocative, which will induce an escalation of the situation in the Black Sea region." ”

Shoigu also said that Russia is "not interested in the development of events, but will continue to respond accordingly to all provocations."

On the 16th, the US European Command released a video of the encounter between US and Russian military aircraft at that time. A senior U.S. official argued that the video "absolutely confirmed" that a physical collision and fuel dumping had occurred.

But the Russian Defense Ministry insisted that the Russian fighter did not use airborne weapons and did not make contact with the drone. The Russian side believes that the US MQ-9 Reaper drone lost control and lost altitude sharply due to violent maneuvering, and then crashed into the water.

At present, the US military "plane collision" incident is still further fermenting.

South Korea's "East Asia Daily" said on the 16th that this is the first time since the Cold War that US and Russian military aircraft have "clashed in military operations."

After Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov warned about the "plane collision," Russian-US relations have been in a "deplorable state." CNN and other media began to discuss "a possible confrontation between two nuclear-weapon states."