and allied aircraft over international airspace, including over the Black Sea, the U.S. The incident follows a pattern of dangerous actions by Russian pilots while interacting with U.S. NATO diplomats in Brussels confirmed that the incident took place but said they did not expect it to immediately escalate into a further confrontation. military doesn't want any other country to 'get their hands on it.' White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN the drone is the property of the United States and the U.S. Ryder said the wreckage of the drone has not yet been recovered. The collision resulted in the complete loss of the MQ-9, Hecker said. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said in a statement. Air Force General James Hecker, commander of U.S. The MQ-9 was conducting routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, U.S. Putin: Stop this behavior before you are the reason for an unintended escalation,' Schumer said in remarks to the U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) called the incident 'another reckless act' by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military. 'We don't want any confrontation between the U.S. Moscow wants 'pragmatic' ties with Washington, he said. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Karen Donfried, Antonov insistedthat the Russian jets didn't hit the American drone or use their weapons.

military aircraft to be near Russia's borders. drone flight as a 'provocation' and argued that there was no reason for U.S. Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov described the U.S. It also said the drone had been flying without activating its transponders, which allow aircraft to be detected by radar. 'The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the, and returned safely to their home airfield,' the ministry said. The Russian Defense Ministry denied that its aircraft had come into contact with the drone, which it said had crashed after 'sharp maneuvering.' It said the drone had been detected near the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Ryder said he was not aware of any radio communications between Russian and U.S. military had to crash the drone into the Black Sea because of damage it sustained when it was intercepted. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the incident marked a clear violation of international law. The jets dumped fuel on the MQ-9 in an apparent attempt to blind or damage it and flew in front of the aircraft before one of the jets collided with the drone's propeller, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here. RFE/RL's Live Briefinggives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians.

Reaper drone