6-8-2023 (MOSCOW) Russia reported on Saturday (Aug 5) that it had dispatched a Su-30 fighter jet to intercept a US Reaper MQ-9 military drone over the Black Sea in order to “prevent a violation of the Russian state border.”
According to the Russian defence ministry, as the Russian fighter approached, the foreign reconnaissance drone altered its course away from the border. The ministry clarified that the drone belonged to the US Air Force and confirmed that the Russian aircraft safely returned to its airbase, with no border violation occurring.
The incident is part of a growing trend of encounters involving Russian and Western aircraft in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea regions, especially as Moscow continues its military activities in Ukraine. In mid-March, tensions escalated between Moscow and Washington when another US Reaper drone crashed following a collision with a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.
In May, Russia claimed to have intercepted four US strategic bombers on two separate occasions above the Baltic Sea within a week. The Russian forces have also reported intercepting aircraft from France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
