Russia: Deliberate US attack on Russian fighter jet means declaration of war on nuclear power
Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has said that the deliberate US attack on a Russian fighter jet in neutral airspace amounts to an open declaration of war against a nuclear power. He also criticized threats by some US lawmakers, notably Senator Lindsey Graham, to shoot down Russian planes in international airspace if they approach US military equipment. A US reconnaissance drone has crashed over the Black Sea after being rammed by a Russian fighter jet, Washington said. The United States makes serious accusations against Russia. Moscow denies responsibility. The Russian Defense Ministry explained in detail the reasons and procedures behind the actions of Russian pilots in yesterday's incident over the Black Sea, Antonov added.
"I repeat: our fighter jets did not collide with the US drone," the Russian ambassador said.
Russia has done everything to prevent such incidents, he added. Of course it's a shame for the Pentagon to lose expensive equipment, he said. The United States summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington on Wednesday evening. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said he would be briefed on the "strong objections to the clearly unsafe and unprofessional interception." After the meeting, Antonov said Moscow saw the crash as a provocation. He accused the US of collecting intelligence data for Ukraine with its drones. "What are they doing thousands of miles away from the United States? The answer is obvious - they are gathering intelligence that will later be used by the Kiev regime to attack our forces and territory." The Russian Defense Ministry had previously denied any responsibility for the US drone crash. But there was no contact.
