The United States (US) military has released footage of a Russian jet crashing into one of its drones over the Black Sea. The US said the damage to the large drone meant it had to be brought down into the water near Ukraine today.
Russia denied its Su-27 fighter jet clipped the propeller of the drone, but the video appears to back up the American version of events. It was in the Pentagon’s interest to release this video – not least to verify its version of events.
The US initially said the confrontation lasted around 30-40 minutes. On Wednesday night, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “We remain confident in the facts we’ve conveyed so far.”
He said then the Pentagon was looking at what video could be released. It is not unusual for militaries to take some time to declassify video footage before making it public.
Feed from a camera fitted under the fuselage of the surveillance drone shows a Russian SU-27 making two extremely close passes while releasing what appears to be fuel as it approaches.
In the first pass, it seems to mire the lens of the camera. The second pass is even closer – disrupting the video feed from the remotely piloted aircraft.
When the picture returns the blade of the drone’s propeller at the back of the aircraft can be seen bent out of shape. Russia has claimed the drone was approaching its territory, but all we can see from the video is the sea, sky, and clouds.
The US insists the drone was being operated in international air space. In a statement released hours after the crash, the US said Russian jets dumped fuel on the drone several times before the collision.
Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
