Russian Fighter Jet Downs US Drone Over Black Sea

By Mike Collett – White

NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine (Reuters)—A Russian Su-27 fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. military Reaper surveillance drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash into the Black Sea in an incident condemned as “reckless” The U.S. military.

John Kirby, White House spokesperson, stated that while there were other intercepts of this nature, the one in question was unique because it was. “unsafe and unprofessional”. Kirby said that Joe Biden, the President of the United States, had been informed about the incident.

An official from the alliance said that General Christopher Cavoli, NATO’s top military commander, reported to allies in Brussels about the incident.

It took place as Russian troops moved in waves along eastern Ukraine’s frontline, and President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Russia’s very existence was at stake during the war.

After Moscow’s winter offensive, Russia and Ukraine have been locked in the bloodiest battle for infantry in Europe since World War Two.

Putin has described Moscow’s one-year-long war invasion as a defensive pushback to what he considers a hostile West bent upon expanding into Russia’s historical territories.

“So for us this is not a geopolitical task, but a task of the survival of Russian statehood, creating conditions for the future development of the country and our children,” Putin spoke during a visit at an aviation plant in Buryatia (about 4,400 km (2.750 miles) east from Moscow).

Putin accuses West and Ukraine of using Ukraine for inflicting pain “strategic defeat” Russia. Kyiv and its Western allies claim that Moscow is engaging in an unprovoked invasion war against Ukraine. This has led to the destruction of Ukrainian cities and thousands of deaths, and millions of refugees fleeing their homelands.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus. Writing by Peter Graff, Gareth Jones. Editing by Nick Macfie.