Dangerous tension in the Black Sea: Russia’s harsh accusation of the US

After the invasion of Ukraine, the tension between the US and Russia reached its peak with the incident in the Black Sea.

The US European Forces Command (EUCOM) announced yesterday that two Russian Su-27 jets harassed the US MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle in the Black Sea, with the MQ-9 crashing in international waters after one of the planes crashed. Describing the incident as “very dangerous and unprofessional”, the US summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington to the Foreign Ministry.

General James B. Hecker, Commander of the US Air Forces for Europe and Africa, stated that “Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations when it was struck by a Russian aircraft in international airspace” and He stated that US vehicles would continue to carry operations in international airspace.

Meanwhile, US-ally British Defense Minister Ben Wallace also backed Washington in calling on Russia to respect international airspace.

‘NO COLLISION, MANEUVER’

These statements received very harsh responses from Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry denied that the fighter jet hit the US drone in the incident, arguing that the drone crashed as a result of a “sudden manoeuvre”.

The Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoli Antonov, accused the United States of provocation. Arguing that the United States deliberately directed its UAV at Russia and that the signaling devices were also turned off, Antonov said: “The US military activity right next to our lands is alarming. “This incident is a clear provocation,” he said.

‘UAV Spy’ Accusation

The Russian ambassador also claimed that the unarmed US UAV carries out the task of bringing information to the Ukrainian military. “They were collecting intelligence that would later be used by kyiv to attack our troops and our land,” Antonov said, noting that the incident could have very serious consequences.

The Black Sea crisis is seen as the most dangerous tension between Russia and the United States since the Ukraine war began on February 24 last year. After the war in Ukraine, there is concern about the possibility of a direct confrontation between Russia and the United States, which gave military support to kyiv, and NATO.

Russia and the US affirm that they are in military contact to avoid a possible conflict over Ukraine.