Moscow announces response to US drone flights over Black Sea
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has ordered a response to US drone flights over the Black Sea, according to his ministry. It was stated that an "elevated intensity" of US drone flights over the sea had been detected. These drones were used for reconnaissance and target selection for precision weapons that have been supplied to Ukraine by Western countries for attacks on Russian institutions. "This shows an increased involvement of the USA and other NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kiev regime," the ministry explained.
Such flights increase the likelihood of incidents with Russian military aircraft. The risk of "a direct confrontation between the alliance and the Russian Federation" thus increases. "NATO members will bear responsibility for this." Belousov ordered the General Staff to submit proposals for an "operational response to provocations."
There have already been tensions between Moscow and Washington over US drones in the Black Sea in the past. In 2023, a Russian fighter jet damaged an American drone there and caused it to crash. This marked the first direct encounter between Russian and US forces since the Cold War. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed at the time that the drone had flown near the Russian border and entered a zone declared off-limits by Russian authorities.
Since the illegitimate annexation of Crimea in 2014, long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has declared extensive areas around the Ukrainian peninsula as flight restriction zones. Moscow accuses US reconnaissance planes of operating too close to the Russian borders and ignoring Russian statements.
- The US drone flights over the Black Sea, which Moscow perceives as a provocation, are taking place in close proximity to the flight restriction zones declared by Russia around Crimea.
- In response to the high frequency of US drone flights near Russian institutions in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Belousov has instructed the General Staff to prepare operational responses.
- The escalating tensions between Russia and the US in the Black Sea, sparked by the US drone flights and support for Ukraine, has raised concerns of a potential direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, with potential consequences for NATO members.
