It was the first direct U.S.-Russian incident since the Ukraine
war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington
and Moscow.
In the video, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet comes very close to
the U.S. MQ-9 drone and dumps fuel near it, in what U.S.
officials say was an apparent effort to damage the American
aircraft as it flew over the Black Sea.
It also shows the loss of the video feed after another close
Russian maneuver, which the Pentagon says resulted from the
Russian jet's collision with the drone. It ends with images of
the drone's damaged propeller, which the Pentagon says resulted
from the collision, making the aircraft inoperable.
The video, which is about 40 seconds long, has been edited by
the U.S. military for length but shows events in a sequential
order, the Pentagon said.
Russia has denied U.S. accusations that its jets acted
recklessly in the incident on Tuesday over the Black Sea, and
instead has blamed "sharp maneuvering" by the drone for the
crash, claiming its jet did not make contact.
The incident over international waters was a reminder of the
risk of direct confrontation between the United States and
Russia over Ukraine, which Moscow invaded more than a year ago
and which Western allies have supported with intelligence and
weapons.
The release of the video followed separate calls on Wednesday
between the top U.S. general, Mark Milley, and his Russian
counterpart, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, as
well as between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his
Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.
In remarks to reporters on Wednesday, Milley said it was clear
that the intercept and harassment of the drone by Russian jets
was intentional, but it was unclear whether the Russian pilots
meant to slam their aircraft into the drone -- a move that could
also put the Russian aircraft at risk.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Toby
Chopra and Christina Fincher)
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