US says Russian plane caused crash of spy drone over Black Sea, Moscow denies collision | – #Russian #plane #caused #crash #spy #drone #Black #Sea #Moscow #denies #collision
SummaryUkraine the first known direct since the beginning of the war USA–Russia Moscow’s meeting in Washington ambassador called the incident “provocation”.
WASHINGTON/KYIV, March 15 (Reuters) – USA army after the invasion of Russia two power in the first such direct clash between Russia said that one of its spy drones crashed into the Black Sea after cutting its propeller. Ukraine more than a year.
Russia Ministry of Defence different account offer and Moscow in Washington ambassador of the country USA‘s MQ-9 drone plane and said that Russia considers the incident involving the Su-27 fighter as a provocation.
The United States regularly conducts surveillance flights in the region and, although it does not involve Ukraine directly in the war, tens of billions of dollars military supported with help.
In the meantime Ukraine President Voldoymir Zelensky said on Tuesday night that military the commanders are unanimously in favor of the defense of the eastern front, including the ruined city of Bakhmut, which has been besieged by Russia for months.
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“The main focus … was on Bachmuth”, – Zelensky he said in a video message at night. “The entire command had a clear position: strengthen this sector and destroy the invaders as much as possible.”
Zelensky dismissed the governors of three provinces, including Luhansk in the east, Odessa on the Black Sea in the south, and Khnelnytskyi region in the west, but the government parliament No reason was given in the representative’s statement.
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Malyar, said that Russia “attacked” on the entire front line in the east of Donetsk region, and fighting was also going on around Kreminna, Bilohorivka and Sprine in the north of Bakhmut.
The defense of Bakhmut was important because “a lot of the enemy’s material is being destroyed… A large number of soldiers are being killed and the enemy’s ability to advance is decreasing from today,” he told Ukrainian television.
United Nations and Turkey they said that on the diplomatic and economic fronts of Ukraine Negotiations on the extension of the agreement on allowing grain shipments from the Black Sea ports, which will expire this week, continued. Kyiv His government rejected Russia’s offer of a 60-day extension, which is half of the previous renewal period.
Drone crash
Two Russian Su-27 plane US Army International weather while flying in its space, it carried out what it described as the accidental capture of an American spy drone. Russian fighters were reported to have refueled the MQ-9 – possibly to damage or destroy it – and flew in dangerous maneuvers in front of it.
About 30 to 40 minutes later, at 7:03 a.m. (0603 GMT), one of the jets collided with the drone, causing it to crash, the US military said.
The Pentagon said that Russia did not find the drone and that the plane was damaged.
“In fact, this dangerous and unprofessional action by the Russians almost caused both planes to crash,” the U.S. Military Weather Military forces in the region weather who controls his forces general James Hecker said in a statement.
Russia Ministry of Defence denied that his plane came into contact with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which he said crashed as a result of a “sharp maneuver”. He said that the drone was discovered near the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
“The Russian fighters did not use their on-board weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their airfield,” – Ministry of Defence said.
Accounts of the incident in the Black Sea, which borders Russia and Ukraine, among other countries, could not be independently verified.
“This is a very sensitive phase in this conflict because this is the first direct contact that the public knows between the West and Russia,” said Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR WAS SUMMONSED
Russia in Washington ambassador Anatoly Antonov was summoned to the US State Department to discuss the Black Sea incident, spokesman Ned Price said.
Antonov said that his meeting was “constructive” and the issue of possible “consequences” for Moscow was not raised, RIA state news agency.
“As for us, we do not want any conflict between the United States and Russia. We support the establishment of pragmatic relations for the benefit of the Russian and American peoples,” Antonov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Moscow has viewed its “special military operation” in Ukraine as a defensive operation against what it sees as a hostile West, which is intent on expanding into territories historically controlled by Russia.
Ukraine and its Western allies say that Russia Ukraine waging an unwarranted war of occupation that razed their cities to the ground, killed thousands, and forced millions from their homes.
(This story has been refiled to add the omitted word “of” in paragraph 1)
By Reuters report; Writing by Grant McCool and Stephen Coates; Edited by Cynthia Osterman and Himani Sarkar
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Phil Stewart
Idris Ali
2023-03-15 06:36:52
Source – reuters
Translation“24 HOURS”