A deliberate attack on a Russian aircraft in neutral airspace would be a declaration of open war against a nuclear power. This is how Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov commented on US Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposal to shoot down Russian planes in international space when approaching US facilities, transmits CASS.
“The appeals of some lawmakers go beyond common sense,” the diplomat said in a comment.
According to him, the Russian Defense Ministry explained in detail the reasons and the procedure for the actions of the Russian pilots during the incident with the American drone MQ-9 over the Black Sea, which occurred on March 14.
“I repeat for those who have not found the strength to take an objective look at the situation: our fighters did not come into contact with the American drone”, explained the ambassador.
Antonov stressed that Russia is doing everything possible to prevent such incidents – it has brought to the attention of the international community in advance information about the borders of the zone of the temporary regime for the use of airspace established for the purpose of conducting a military operation.
“Of course, it’s a shame for the Pentagon to lose expensive equipment. But in this case, accusations of unprofessionalism by the US military should be redirected to their address,” the diplomat said.
Commenting on the US senator’s statement, Antonov noted that this was not the first attempt by “an obnoxious lawmaker to cause a dangerous escalation in Russian-US relations”.
The ambassador stressed that the deliberate attack on a Russian aircraft in neutral airspace is not only a crime under international law, but also “an open declaration of war against the greatest nuclear power”.
According to him, an armed conflict between Russia and the United States would be fundamentally different “from the proxy war that the Americans are waging us from a distance in Ukraine”.
Antonov noted that it is necessary to ask not Russian pilots, but the United States, “inciting the beginning of an apocalyptic conflict”. Russia, he said, does not seek conflict with a nuclear power. “We continue to maintain contact, especially through the Ministry of Defense, in order to prevent unintended conflicts. I would like American politicians to have the same attitude towards relations with Russia,” the ambassador added.
The American MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed in the Black Sea on the morning of March 14. The Pentagon said the drone crashed after a “dangerous and unprofessional interception” by two Russian Su-27 fighter jets. The Russian Defense Ministry, in turn, said the MQ-9 fell as a result of its own brutal maneuver and Russian fighters did not come into contact with it. After the incident, the US State Department protested to Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov. On the evening of March 15, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu, had had telephone conversations with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin. The main attention was paid to the exchange of views on the causes and consequences of the incident with the American drone over the Black Sea. According to Shoigu, the reason for the crash of the MQ-9 Reaper drone was the US military’s non-compliance with the restricted flight zone declared by Moscow. In turn, the head of the Pentagon said that the American military aviation will continue its flights in international airspace, and “it is important that the great powers are models of transparency and maintenance of communications”. A senior US official told The New York Times the day before that an MQ-9 Reaper drone had flown from its base in Romania on a planned reconnaissance mission. According to the newspaper’s interlocutor, these missions generally last 9 to 10 hours. And, although the MQ-9 Reaper could carry Hellfire missiles, this drone was unarmed. The newspaper notes that the drone conducted a reconnaissance 120 km southwest of Crimea.
Learn more about why the American Reaper drone ended up over the Black Sea, how these drones are arranged and what they are used for – in RTVI material.
