According to PS speaker Ignat, before the attack, which was carried out by a Russian fighter, reconnaissance on the American MQ-9 Reaper UAV in international airspace monitored the air situation.
The US MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance vehicle was in the air over the Black Sea, monitoring the line of demarcation. There was no threat to Russian military aircraft. Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated this on March 15 on the air of Radio Liberty.
The speaker noted that the American drone did not violate international rules regarding flights. He reacted with surprise to information about allegedly any threats to the Russian Aerospace Forces.
“What is the threat from such a single UAV? There is not even anything to comment on here,” the speaker said.
Ignat added that unmanned aerial vehicles regularly monitored the situation along the demarcation line until the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. This information is known to everyone, so there were no discussions regarding the threats from the UAV. Currently, NATO drones in Europe continue to monitor and perform tasks, including monitoring military operations on the territory of Ukraine.
MQ-9 Reaper drones in the Black Sea Basin perform their missions daily. UAVs also recorded the observance of the silence regime, so the Russian pilots did not have any prerequisites for an attack.
Recall that the accident of the MQ-9 Reaper drone occurred on March 14 in the Black Sea. Russian Su-27 pilots dropped fuel in front of him. After that, the Americans had to shoot down the UAV. In a statement, the US command called Russia’s actions reckless and unprofessional. Whether the drone had any weapons, American representatives did not announce.
Subsequently, the media simulated UAV damage over the Black Sea. Experts suggest that it was because of the jet fuel dumping that the US drone crashed. The Russian plane was likely damaged during the incident but subsequently landed.
