It is day 385 of the war in Ukraine. Follow the latest news about the war and all its aftermath in this live blog.
Tuesday 14th March
American drone crashes into the Black Sea after colliding with a Russian plane
11:35 pm | The US military has crashed a drone into the Black Sea after colliding with a Russian fighter jet in international airspace. According to the US military, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet hit the propeller of the US Reaper drone.
The unmanned drone was said to have been intercepted by two Russian fighter jets during a routine operation. According to the US military, fuel was spilled on the drone by the Russian plane and the planes flew in front of the drone in a “reckless” and “unprofessional” manner. One of the planes eventually hit the drone, which is considered lost. Due to the damage, the military was forced to take the drone out of the sky.
A White House spokesman says such wiretaps are more common, but a drone incident is “unique.” He also reports that President Joe Biden has been informed of the incident and that the State Department is in contact with Moscow about it.
According to the US military, there is “a pattern of unsafe actions by Russian pilots as they interact with US and allied aircraft in international airspace.” These are “dangerous and can lead to miscalculations and unintentional escalation.”
Russia denies that the drone crashed at the hands of fighters, but claims it was due to “sharp maneuvering”. According to the Defense Ministry, the planes did not use any weapons and returned safely to their home airport. Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who has been called to account by the US government, says Russia sees the incident as a provocation, but also that the country is not seeking a confrontation with the US.
A Pentagon spokesman didn’t say whether it would attempt to recover the drone, but noted that Russia still failed to do so. The United States itself does not have warships in the Black Sea, but it regularly flies reconnaissance planes there.
NATO diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident but said it should not lead to further clashes. The alliance’s top military commander briefed NATO member states.
Putin: Nord Stream sabotage carried out at the state level
20:43 | According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year was carried out at the “state level”. Putin told Russian state television on Tuesday. He dismisses the idea that an autonomous pro-Ukrainian group is responsible for the blasts as “complete nonsense”.
It is not yet clear who is behind the explosions of the Nord Stream pipes. Germany, Sweden and Denmark have launched investigations into the circumstances of the sabotage. Last week, media outlets in Germany, the US and the UK published reports that a pro-Ukrainian group is likely behind the sabotage. There is no evidence that the Ukrainian government was involved. President Zelensky dismissed the idea of ​​Ukrainian involvement as “ridiculous”.
Swedish and other European investigators said the attack was deliberate, but have not yet said who might be responsible for the attack. Moscow, without providing evidence, blamed Western countries. In the televised interview, Putin hints at American involvement, which the US has previously denied.
Russian missile hits residential building
19:33 | Ukrainian officials said a Russian missile hit a residential building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday. The missile killed at least one person and injured three others, President Zelensky said.
The city of Kramatorsk is just over 50km from the border town of Bakhmut, which has seen the fiercest fighting in Ukraine since last year’s Russian invasion.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
