Summary
- Russian Defense Ministry warns of increased US drone missions over Black Sea, raising incident risks.
- Russian Defense Minister requests proposals for responding to American flights.
- NATO, particularly the UK and US, has been conducting reconnaissance missions over the Black Sea since Ukraine invasion.
In a recent post on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed there had been an increase in US surveillance drone missions over the Black Sea. It also stated it increased the “likelihood of incidents” between the US Air Force and Russian Air Force. Early in the war, a rogue Russian pilot even fired on a British River Joint AWACS aircraft operating in international wars over the Black Sea (two missiles were fired, but the British aircraft was not hit).
Russian MoD looks for counters against US & NATO Black Sea missions
In the Telegram post published on June 28, the Russian Defense Ministry asserts that this demonstrates increased US and NATO involvement in the war in Ukraine and makes a direct clash more likely. The post accuses Western countries of using the information gathered to aid Ukraine in striking Russian targets.
Photo: USAF
“The Russian Defense Ministry notes the increased intensity of flights of US strategic unmanned aerial vehicles over the Black Sea, which carry out reconnaissance and target designation for high-precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by Western countries in order to strike Russian targets.” – Russian MoD
The post also states that the Russian Defense Minister has requested proposals from the Russian General Staff to respond to the American flights. In recent weeks, Russia has seen its air defense systems (particularly in Crimea) decimated by Ukraine.
“Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov instructed the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to submit proposals on measures for rapid response to provocation.” – Russian MoD
After Putin’s reelection in March, there was a major shakeup in the Russian military leadership. Andrei Belousov was installed as the Russian Defense Minister
Related
Analysis: Why Russia’s Su-35 Fighter Jets Had Trouble Finding Buyers Even Before Ukraine
Facing a whirlwind of troubles, Russia’s days of exporting large numbers of fighter jets could be over.
Other reported Black Sea drone incident
According to the Kyiv Post, the statement came soon after rumors circulated online that a Russian MiG-31 fighter had downed a US Air Force reconnaissance drone (possibly an RQ-4B Global Hawk). This was reported on Russian Telegram channels, which were generally deemed to be credible (including the famed Fighterbomber account believed to have links with the Russian Air Force).
Photo: USAF
The Russian Fighterbomber channel later “clarified” the story that the Russian jet had flown close to the American drone, forcing it to change course and return to base. However, the Pentagon later denied the incident. One popular open-source intelligence account on X (formerly Twitter) posted flight radar data reportedly showing that the American drone had safely returned to its base.
Since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western countries (particularly the United Kingdom and the United States) have been flying reconnaissance missions in international wars over the Black Sea. Russian Su-27 pilots have already managed to down an American Reaper drone over the Black Sea. The Su-27 pilots “buzzed” the drone, dumped fuel on it, and inadvertently hit it, forcing it to ditch.