As of the morning of March 19, 9 Russian ships are on duty in the Black Sea. Among them are two surface missile carriers, their total volley is 16 Calibers.
This was announced by the spokeswoman of the Operational Command "South" Nataliya Humenyuk on the air of the telethon.
According to her, the Russians are curtailing the search for the US drone MQ-9 Reaper, because the weather and depths do not favor the continuation of these works.
Missile carriers in the Black Sea can target Ukraine with missiles. According to Humenyuk, the Russians are trying to find new tactics, because thanks to Ukrainian air defense, massive missile strikes do not give the occupiers the expected results.
- On March 14, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted and shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea. At approximately 07:03, one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft engaged the propeller of the MQ-9, causing the drone to crash in 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."
- The Russian Defense Ministry has denied that any of its planes came into contact with the US drone and said the drone crashed due to "abrupt manoeuvring".
- The CNN channel reported that before the MQ-9 Reaper drone fell into the Black Sea, the US remotely removed its secret software.