First Military Aircraft Collision Since the Cold War: US Defense Warns Russia "Do Not Make a Mistake"

Tensions continue as a U.S. military drone crashed following provocation by a Russian fighter jet over the southern Black Sea airspace of Ukraine. This marks the first time since the Cold War that a physical collision between U.S. and Russian military aircraft has led to the downing of a U.S. aircraft. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a strong warning to Russia, saying, "Do not make a mistake."

On January 14, 2020, an MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle was flying over a test training range in Nevada. The photo was provided by the U.S. Air Force on November 7, 2020. [Image source=Yonhap News Agency]

On the 14th (local time), Secretary Austin urged Russia to operate its military aircraft safely during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), a temporary consultative body of defense officials from over 50 countries discussing support measures for Ukraine. He stated, "This dangerous incident is part of a pattern of risky and unsafe behavior by Russian pilots in international airspace," adding, "Russia has an obligation to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner." He further emphasized, "The United States will continue to fly and conduct operations wherever international law permits."

The previous day, a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Black Sea west of the Crimean Peninsula was struck by the propeller of a Russian Sukhoi-27 (SU-27) fighter jet, causing the drone to crash. In response, the U.S. has raised accountability concerns, labeling Russia's reckless close-proximity threat flight in international airspace as unacceptable.

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council (NSC), appeared on CNN that day and said, "(The crashed drone) may not be recoverable." He added, "We have done our best to minimize the intelligence value in case someone else retrieves the downed drone," but noted, "We cannot say for certain whether Russia will attempt to bring the drone to the surface." Relatedly, the Associated Press reported that Russia plans to search for the drone debris.

Coordinator Kirby reiterated that the downed U.S. drone was operating outside the airspace claimed by Ukraine or any other country, emphasizing, "We will continue to conduct operations in accordance with international law."

Russia claims it dispatched fighter jets in response to an incursion into its designated no-entry zone but insists there was no actual collision. Their position is that the U.S. drone lost control and crashed.

On the same day, Russia acknowledged that U.S.-Russia relations are at their worst but reaffirmed its policy to protect national interests through dialogue. According to Sputnik and other sources, Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a phone briefing with reporters about the previous day's incident, "We are aware that bilateral relations are probably at their lowest point, in a very bad state," adding, "Each country will protect its national interests through dialogue. Russia has never avoided constructive dialogue and will not avoid it in the future," he stated.

When asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incident, Peskov replied, "Of course." He also confirmed that there have been no high-level talks with the U.S. since the incident. Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the U.S., who was summoned to the U.S. State Department the previous day, stated in an interview with Russian state media, "We firmly reject all accusations against the Russian military," and warned the U.S. that "no one will be allowed to violate Russian waters anymore."

Meanwhile, Ukraine accused Russia of seeking escalation in the incident. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said on social media that the incident "shows that Putin (Russian President) is ready to expand the conflict to other parties," adding, "The purpose of this 'all-in' strategy is always to raise the stakes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.