Russian Fighter Jets Intercept American Drones in the Black Sea

  The Russian Defense Ministry announced that its Sukhoi-30 fighter jet successfully intercepted the American MQ-9A Reaper drone flying over the Black Sea. The Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement issued Saturday (5/8/2023) evening said, "A Sukhoi-30 fighter jet was deployed to identify aerial targets and successfully prevented the American Air Force's MQ-9A Reaper drone,". "After the Russian warplanes approached, the American drone changed its course and continued to fly against the previous trajectory," said a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

Last month, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its warplanes intercepted a British reconnaissance plane and two fighter planes over the Black Sea. This action takes place at a time when relations between the West and Russia are getting colder after the war in Ukraine. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the United States has been an active player on the battlefield by sending weapons and military equipment to Kyiv, as well as imposing sanctions on Russia, which have fueled tensions and further flared the conflict. (PH)