Is there now an escalation between Moscow and Washington?

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Every day, Russian and Western planes and drones, manned and unmanned, fly close together along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. Many observers worry that this could lead to an escalation to the brink of war.

On Tuesday, this concern is even greater than usual: a military incident over the Black Sea sparked new tensions between the US and Russia. The most important questions and answers.

The US military said two Russian Su-27 fighter jets attempted to intercept a US MQ-9 Reaper drone. It was flying in international airspace over the Black Sea when one of the two jets hit the US drone’s propeller.

In addition, before the collision, the jets allegedly dumped fuel over the US drone several times and flew in front of it – in a “reckless manner”. After the Russian maneuver, the U.S. drone was unable to fly and had to be taken down by U.S. forces. So the drone was completely lost. Damage: $32 million.

The Americans blame Russia for the incident and the US State Department even wants to summon the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov (67).

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, 72, described the incident as “another reckless act” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, 70, and his military.

US President Joe Biden (80) has been informed of the incident, said Security Council spokesman John Kirby (60). If the Russians’ action is intended to prevent the United States from flying and operating in international airspace, then this message will fail, he stressed.

The Russian Defense Ministry denies any responsibility. The drone was not attacked. “The Russian fighter jets used no weapons on board, did not come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle and returned safely to their home airport,” it said in a statement.

Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to Washington, accused the US of using the drone to collect data for Kiev. “What are they doing thousands of miles from the United States? The answer is obvious: they collect information that will later be used by the Kiev regime to attack our troops and our territory.” He said the “unacceptable actions of the US military in the vicinity of our borders” to be of concern.

On Wednesday morning, Russia urged the United States to “stop hostile flights”, according to AFP news agency.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a large unmanned aerial vehicle. It is controlled remotely by a two-person team consisting of a pilot and a member of the cockpit crew who operate the sensors and control the weapons, the manufacturer writes.

It is mainly used for “reconnaissance work”, according to the US Air Force, but also for conducting precision strikes against “high-value and time-critical targets”. The Reapers can carry up to 16 Hellfire missiles. However, according to US information, the crashed model was unarmed.

Kirby warned that such inappropriate behavior by Russian pilots could lead to “misjudgments” between the two countries’ armed forces. “We don’t want this war to escalate beyond what it has already done to the Ukrainian people.”

However, the American think tank ISW does not assume that there will be a military escalation between the two superpowers. “For decades, Russian forces have used coercive signals against U.S. and allied flights and naval vessels in various non-conflict theaters.”

The heads of state of the two countries would have full decision-making power in these matters. “Given Biden’s repeated commitments not to engage U.S. forces in direct conflict with Russia, and the Kremlin’s unequivocal and repeated reluctance to go to war with NATO, there is no reason for incidents leading to dangerous escalations.”

Source: Blick