White House: US took steps to ensure MQ-9 drone wreckage doesn’t fall into wrong hands – Reuters

In conversation with a correspondent CNN Jake Tupper Kirby said the United States “took action against this particular drone to protect our property.” “Obviously we don’t want anyone but us to get it,” Kirby said.

As the Russian Defense Ministry reported the day before, on the morning of March 14, the Russian Aerospace Forces registered an MQ-9 flight near the Crimean Peninsula. He violated the borders of the zone of the temporary regime for the use of airspace as part of a special operation, and also flew with the transponders turned off.

According to the agency, the device, after a sharp maneuver, entered an uncontrolled flight, after which it lost altitude and crashed into the water. There was no contact between the Russian fighters and the drone.

According to the US side, the downed drone was carrying out a reconnaissance mission. The press says he was unarmed. According to Anatoly Antonov, Russian Ambassador to Washington, US drones collect data which Kiev then uses to strike Russian armed forces.