The United States is flying surveillance drones further south above the Black Sea after a Russian jet collided with a US drone last week, according to two US officials
The drone flights have remained in international airspace, but since the collision between one of the Russian jets and the MQ-9 Reaper drone last Tuesday, the US has moved its drone flights further away from airspace surrounding the Crimean peninsula and eastern portions of the Black Sea.
One of the officials said the routes are part of an effort “to avoid being too provocative,” as the Biden administration remains careful to avoid an incident that could potentially escalate into a direct conflict between US and Russian forces.
The official said the drone flights would continue this way “for the time being,” but added there is already “an appetite” to return to the routes closer to Russian-held territory. The officials also said Russia may try to unilaterally declare a broader closure of airspace around southern and eastern Ukraine in an attempt to force US drone flights further out.
On Tuesday, FlightRadar24, a commercial flight tracking website, showed a US RQ-4 Global Hawk — which is a remotely-piloted aircraft used for surveillance — remaining in the southern and southwestern portions of the Black Sea at an altitude of approximately 52,000 feet.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday the US was continuing to operate drones of the Black Sea, “flying in international airspace in accordance with international law.”
But he declined to say whether the US had changed its routes or mission profiles following last week’s encounter between a US spy drone and two Russian fighter jets.
“I’m not going to, for operational security reasons, not going to get into the specifics of routes, missions, timelines, things like that,” Ryder said at a press briefing.
Source link: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-03-21-23/index.html