The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the MQ-9 « Reaper » drone crashed « as a result of sharp maneuvering, » rather than the actions of Russian fighter jets.
The Russian military has claimed that a U.S. drone that crashed over the Black Sea downed itself following « sharp maneuvering. »
The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday that two « reckless » Russian fighter pilots forced the MQ-9 « Reaper » drone to plummet into the Black Sea after colliding with it over international waters. A short time later, Russia’s Ministry of Defense offered its own explanation, claiming that the U.S. was entirely at fault for the drone’s destruction.
A statement from the ministry said that the drone had « violated » airspace by flying toward the Russian-occupied territory of Crimea with its transponders turned off. Russian jets were then sent to « identify the violator » but did not use weapons or make contact with the U.S. aircraft, according to the ministry.
« As a result of sharp maneuvering around 9.
