After Collision, US to Temporarily Fly Drones Further From Crimea

The US plans to keep its aircraft further away from Russian territory in the Black Sea, CNN reported on Tuesday. The decision comes after a Russian fighter jet collided with a Reaper drone, causing the American aircraft to go down in the Black Sea. 

One unnamed source speaking with CNN said the US will keep its drones away from Russian territory temporarily “to avoid being too provocative.” The official added drone flights would continue this way “for the time being,” but there is already “an appetite” to return to the routes closer to Russia.

The decision to keep American drones further south in the Black Sea came after a Russian  Su-27 fighter jet hit a MQ-9 Reaper drone, causing it to crash into the water. The Pentagon claimed the drone was abiding by international law and was not in Russian airspace. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin asserted Washington will continue to fly drones “wherever” international law allows. 

The Kremlin claims the incident was caused by “the actions of the United States on non-compliance with the restricted flight zone declared by the Russian Federation.” After Russia invaded Ukraine it expanded the area around Crimea it considers off-limits to aircraft. 

The Department of Defense claims it will continue to fly drones in the Black Sea. Pentagon Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the US was continuing to operate drones in the area, “flying in international airspace in accordance with international law.” 

Ryder noted he could not comment on the routes the drones were flying. “I’m not going to, for operational security reasons, not going to get into the specifics of routes, missions, timelines, things like that,” he said.