Over the Black Sea, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted and shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone.
This information was confirmed by the European Command of the US Armed Forces on March 14.
At approximately 7:03 a.m., one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft hit the propeller of the MQ-9, causing the drone to crash into international waters. Several times before the collision, the two Russian Su-27s jettisoned fuel and flew in front of the MQ-9 "in a reckless, environmentally unsafe, and unprofessional manner."
“Our MQ-9 drone was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and shot down by a Russian aircraft, resulting in the crash and total loss of the MQ-9. In fact, these dangerous and unprofessional actions by the Russians almost caused the downing of both aircraft,” said US Air Force Commander General James Hecker.