US-Russia Tensions Rise Following Release of Declassified Video Footage Showing “Unsafe/Unprofessional Intercept” of US Drone Over Black Sea

Tensions between the United States and Russia have risen following the release of newly declassified video footage by the US military. The video, filmed from the on-board camera of a US Air Force MQ-9 drone, shows a Russian Su-27 fighter jet conducting an “unsafe/unprofessional intercept” of the drone over the Black Sea earlier this week.

The US military has accused the Russian jet of harassing and colliding with the drone, while Russia has denied its planes came “into contact” with the drone and has blamed the US for the incident. US Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said the Russian aircraft’s “unsafe and unprofessional” flying nearly caused the Su-27 and the Reaper to crash.

The footage released by US European Command shows the Russian jet making two passes by the drone and dumping fuel on it. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that relations between Russia and the US have been damaged by the incident.

The incident is the first known direct confrontation between the two superpowers since Moscow invaded its neighbor last year, and comes at a time of mounting tensions over a variety of issues. US officials have called on Russia to cease “hostile” surveillance flights near its borders to help de-escalate the situation.

The US military has not yet commented on the incident, but the release of the footage is likely to add to the already strained relations between the two countries.