(Reuters) – March 16 (Reuters) – The Pentagon released on Thursday a video showing a Russian military jet intercept a U.S. drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago, in what was the first direct encounter between the world’s leading nuclear powers since the Ukraine war began.
U.S. DRONE INCIDENT
* In the declassified, roughly 40-second video, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet comes very close to the drone and dumps what U.S. officials say was jet fuel near it in an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew over the Black Sea.
* It also shows the loss of the video feed after a second pass by a Russian jet, which the Pentagon says resulted from its collision with the drone. The video ends with images of the drone’s damaged propeller, which the Pentagon says resulted from the collision, making the aircraft inoperable.
* Russia said that operating U.S. drone flights near Crimea was provocative and could lead to an escalation. The top U.S. general said there was a pattern of increasing Russian aggression.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States was “ignoring” the fact that Russia had established air space restrictions in the area.
* The drone’s crash into the Black Sea is being investigated, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, declining to speak on the intent or the motivation behind the incident.
* The MQ-9 “Reaper” unmanned aerial vehicle can loiter at up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with sophisticated cameras, sensors and radars.
FIGHTING, POLITICS
* Wagner’s convicts tell of horrors of Ukraine war and loyalty to their leader
* The situation for Russian forces trying to capture the ruined city of Bakhmut is “difficult”, because there are no signs Kyiv is ready to order a withdrawal of its troops, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine’s Donetsk region said.
* Ukraine’s top military command favours defending eastern Ukraine including the besieged city of Bakhmut and inflicting maximum losses on the enemy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Wednesday.
* The head of private militia Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said his forces are in control of practically half the city and only one exit road remains available to Ukraine.
ECONOMY, DIPLOMACY
* Putin urged Russia’s billionaires to invest in new technology, production facilities and enterprises to help it overcome what he said were Western attempts to destroy its economy.
* Ukraine’s efforts to ensure it receives compensation from Russia for damage caused by its invasion are hampered by allies’ concerns about the legal precedents that might be set, a senior Ukrainian official said.
* Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to soon visit Putin and, according to media, hold a virtual meeting with Zelenskiy weeks after China proposed a 12-point plan for peace in Ukraine.
(Compiled by Reuters editors)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.
Source: The Print
