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A Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of the drone, the Air Force said. The White House called Moscow’s actions “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless.”
Russia denied its fighter jets came “into contact” with the US drone. The Russian ambassador to the US said Moscow did not want a “confrontation,” but that the craft was too close to the Russian border.
Although Russian and US aircraft have operated over the Black Sea during the Ukraine war, this is the first known interaction of this nature since the conflict began.
On the ground in Ukraine, Russian forces attacked cities across the eastern Donetsk region Tuesday as fierce fighting continues in Bakhmut, with combat appearing to be focused around a sprawling metallurgical plant in the north of the embattled city.
Roman Trokhymets is a Ukrainian soldier who served around the eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between Ukraine and Russian forces.
Recovering from a recent injury, he told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday what it was like fighting in a war to protect his country.
“I can’t even describe the whole emotions, that’s why I try to drop some video and the photos, because sometimes you can’t understand everything, just look at the photo,” he said.
Trokhymets, who was a realtor before the war, has been tweeting photos and videos from the frontlines.
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"It is premature to draw conclusions" about fighting around Bakhmut, Ukraine minister says
From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Radina Gigova
A man stands in front of a house destroyed by shelling in the village of Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut, on March 14.
(Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images)
It is premature to draw conclusions about the dynamic of the fighting in Bakhmut as battles for control of the eastern city are still raging, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on national television Tuesday.
Russian forces are conducting offensive operations along the eastern front and are trying to advance in several directions, Maliar said.
Russian forces had “some minor success” but the Ukrainian military had “significant successes,” although she declined to go into details. “There is a positive dynamic,” she said.
Maliar added:
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A Russian jet forced down a US drone over international waters. Here's what you need to know
From CNN staff
A Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of a MQ-9 Reaper drone, according to US officials. The drone was flying over international waters when one of two Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times, according to the US European Command.
Russia has pushed back, denying that its jets came “into contact” with the drone. The Russian Ambassador to the US said Russia does not want “confrontation” with the US but “as we see it, American aircraft have no business being near the Russian border.”
Here’s what to know:
US-Russia drone intervention: A Russian jet downed a US drone over the Black Sea. Aircraft from both countries have operated over the Black Sea during the course of the war, but this is the first known such interaction, a potentially dangerous escalation at a critical time in the fighting. The incident prompted US officials to express “strong objections” to diplomats. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder called it “uncommon and unfortunate and unsafe.” President Joe Biden and US allies have been briefed, according to the White House and the Pentagon.
Russian response: Russia has pushed back, denying that its fighter jets came “into contact” with the US drone. Russian Ambassador to the US Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said Russia does not want a “confrontation” with the US, but that the craft was too close to the Russian border. The drone has not been recovered, a spokesperson for US European Command said.
Latest from the frontlines: Russian strikes across the Donetsk region have killed at least three people. In Bakhmut, social media posts appear to confirm fighting around the AZOM metallurgical plant in the north of the city. The intensity of shelling the city has increased, a Ukrainian soldier said on Ukrainian national television. Wagner units appear to be making limited advances but remain well short of encircling Bakhmut. In southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said it destroyed four Russian missiles that were headed toward the Odesa.
Update on western aid: Ukrainian soldiers have nearly completed their training on Leopard 2 battle tanks in Munster, Germany, according to a spokesperson for the special training command. Once the training is finished, Germany can deploy the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the spokesperson said. Germany has so far vowed to supply Ukraine with 18 of the latest A6 model Leopard 2 tanks. Additionally, the Netherlands announced it will send two minesweepers, drone detection radar systems and ferrying and bridge-building systems to Ukraine, according to Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren.
Ukrainian official calls on international community to discuss impact of Russia's "environmental crimes"
From CNN's Radina Gigova
Russia’s war in Ukraine is damaging the environment — and it needs to be discussed more by experts, Ukrainian and United Nations officials said.
The Executive Director of the UN Environment Program, Inger Andersen, met with the Head of the Office of Ukraine’s President, Andriy Yermak, in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency.
The leaders discussed “the issue of Russian responsibility for environmental crimes in Ukraine.” Yermak told Anderson that “Russia is causing enormous damage to the ecological system of our country,” according to the statement.
For her part, Andersen emphasized her support for Ukraine in overcoming the challenges to its ecological system due to the Russian invasion, and emphasized the importance of a deeper discussion about this issue at the expert level, according to the statement.
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Russian ambassador says US aircraft have no business being near Russian border
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Radina Gigova
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian Ambassador to the US, said Tuesday that Russia does not want “confrontation” with the US but “as we see it, American aircraft have no business being near the Russian border.”
Antonov did say he wanted to point out “how professional the Russian pilots were in their actions. No contact was made, nor were any weapons used by our fighter jets.”
Some background: The Reaper drone was flying over international waters when one of two Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times, according to the US European Command. The aircraft then hit the propeller of the drone, prompting US forces to bring the MQ-9 drone down in international waters.
Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder added Tuesday that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding just after 7 a.m. Central European Time.
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Transfer of jets to Ukraine may happen within next 4 to 6 weeks, Polish prime minister says
From CNN's Alex Hardie and Niamh Kennedy in London
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday that a transfer of Poland’s supply of MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine “might happen within the next four to six weeks.”
Morawiecki made the remark while answering questions from reporters in Warsaw.
It comes after Polish President Andrzej Duda told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in a late February interview that Ukrainian pilots were “prepared to operate” MiG-29 fighter jets.
Ukrainian pilots however will likely need more training to “be ready to fly modern aircraft at NATO standards, such as F-16s,” Duda said, emphasizing that the “training of a pilot is much more complicated and much longer [than the training of a tank operator].”
Duda told CNN that modern weapons are “key” to shoring up Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from Russia. When asked if that includes fighter jets, he responded: “If there is such a need, of course, yes.”
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US taking steps to ensure drone won't end up in the wrong hands, White House official says
From CNN's Betsy Klein
The US is taking measures to ensure that the drone that was downed over the Black Sea won’t fall into the wrong hands, a top White House official said Tuesday.
Pressed on whether the US would show evidence to back its account of what happened – given Russia’s denial – Kirby noted the US is “looking at some imagery to see if any of that might be suitable” for public release, but said no decisions have been made at this time.
He also dismissed the denial issued by Russia’s ministry of defense.
Kirby pointed to the summoning of Russia’s Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov to State Department as “one of the advantages of having diplomatic lines open,” saying that in the meeting, the State Department walked the ambassador “through the very significant and very real concerns over this unsafe and unprofessional conduct by Russian pilots.”
He reiterated his condemnation of the incident, warning of immediate and broader implications.
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Russia does not want confrontation with US, Russian ambassador says
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
Russia does not want “confrontation” with the US, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said Tuesday after he was summoned to the State Department following an incident that led to the downing of a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
He was inside the State Department for a little over half an hour. Antonov said Assistant Secretary Karen Donfried conveyed the US’ concerns about the incident, and he “exchanged our remarks on this issue because we have some differences.”
He also claimed that Russia “had informed about this space that was identified as a zone for special military operation.”
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Russian ambassador arrives at State Department
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
In this 2017 photo, Russia Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov speaks during a World Affairs event at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov arrived at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday afternoon after being summoned following the incident that resulted in the downing of a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
Antonov did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Antonov is expected to meet with Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Karen Donfried, a senior State Department official said.
Antonov was summoned to “convey our strong objections,” State Dept spokesman Ned Price said on Tuesday.
In addition, the US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy “has conveyed a strong message to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Price said.
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Top Senate Democrat says Russia forcing down US drone was "reckless act"
From CNN's Ali Zaslav
A Russian fighter jet forcing down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea was a “reckless act” by President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
“I want to tell Mr. Putin, stop this behavior before you are the cause of an unintended escalation,” he said.
He said the interception will not deter the United States from operating over the Black Sea.
Some background: The Russian ministry of defense on Tuesday denied that any of its aircraft came into contact with the US drone.
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Russia denies that fighter jets came "into contact" with US drone
From CNN's Katharina Krebs and Radina Gigova
A Russian fighter aircraft “did not use airborne weapons or come into contact” with a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
The ministry said that Russian fighter jets “scrambled to identify the intruder.”
“As a result of quick maneuvering around 9.30 a.m. (Moscow time), the MQ-9 drone went into an unguided flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface,” the ministry said.
Some more context: Earlier today, the US Air Force said a Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea after damaging the propeller of the drone. The White House is calling Moscow’s actions “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless.”
While Russian and US aircraft have operated over the Black Sea during the Ukraine war, this is the first known interaction of this nature since the conflict began, and a potentially dangerous escalation at a critical time in the fighting.
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Pentagon: Russian aircraft flew near US drone for 30 to 40 minutes before collision
From CNN's Haley Britzky
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a press briefing.
(Pool)
Russian aircraft were flying alongside a US Reaper drone for 30 to 40 minutes before they collided with it, ultimately causing it to crash, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Tuesday.
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Russian intercept of drone “uncommon and unfortunate and unsafe," Pentagon spokesperson says
From CNN's Michael Conte
Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a press briefing.
(Pool)
The United States has been conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in international waters in the Black Sea “for some time,” including before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday.
Ryder said that Russia has not recovered the downed drone.
Ryder would not say whether the MQ-9 drone was armed, but added that the Defense Department is working to declassify imagery from the intercept.
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US summons Russian ambassador to convey "strong objections" over drone intercept incident
Form CNN's Jennifer Hansler
Russia's Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, is seen in Washington, DC on December 12, 2017.
(Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images/File)
The US State Department is summoning the Russian ambassador to convey its “strong objections” to the downing of a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea, a spokesperson said.
The “high-level engagement” with Ambassador Anatoly Antonov was expected to take place later Tuesday afternoon, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
During the meeting, the ambassador will “hear directly from senior officials about our strong objections to what was clearly an unsafe and unprofessional intercept on the part of a Russian aircraft,” the spokesperson said.
In Moscow, US Ambassador Lynne Tracy “has conveyed a strong message to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” about the incident, according to Price.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently traveling and is not in Washington, DC.
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US defense secretary has not spoken to Russian counterpart about drone intercept incident
From CNN's Haley Britzky
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has not spoken to his Russian counterpart about the Russian aircraft intercepting a US Reaper drone, resulting in its downing over international waters.
The MQ-9 Reaper drone was conducting “routine operations in international airspace” on Tuesday when two Russian Su-27 aircraft intercepted it, a US military statement said.
One of the Russian aircraft hit the drone, resulting in “a crash and complete loss” of the drone, Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa said.
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Explosion in Russian-held city of Melitopol kills 1, Russian-backed administration says
From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Radina Gigova
The owner of a car blown up Tuesday in the center of the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol has died in the hospital from his wounds, the Russian-backed regional administration said in a Telegram post.
Two others, a woman and a child, were also injured, according to Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the pro-Russian Zaporizhzhia region military-civilian administration.
All three have been hospitalized, he said.
The explosion was carried out with an improvised explosive device, according to Rogov, and it happened near a market.
Rogov said a local pro-Russian entrepreneur was the target of the alleged attack.
CNN is not able to independently verify those claims.
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US State Department has briefed allies on drone incident, spokesperson says
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler and Christian Sierra
US State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks during a news conference on March 10, 2022, in Washington, DC.
(Manuel Balce Ceneta/Pool/AFP/Getty Images/File)
The United States has briefed allies about Russia’s downing of a US Reaper drone over the Black Sea, according to the State Department.
Spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday the US was “not in position to speak to what the Russians intended to do” with the maneuvers that brought the drone down, but noted that “the motivations matter much less than what actually transpired.”
He said the US is “engaged at high levels with allies.”
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US State Dept. releases new report outlining Russian disinformation on US and Ukrainian biological weapons
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
The US State Department’s Global Engagement Center on Tuesday released a new report outlining Russia’s attempts to spread disinformation about American and Ukrainian biological weapons.
The eight-page report does not seem to present new information about the disinformation effort, but rather gives a comprehensive look at the widespread efforts on the matter, from the days of the Soviet Union to the current war in Ukraine.
The release of the report comes a day after a senior State Department official said that Russia and China have “clearly” aligned themselves on propaganda and disinformation regarding the war in Ukraine, and that the United States and the West have not invested enough over the years in countering such disinformation.
Tuesday’s report noted that “Russia, like the Soviet Union before it, has pushed false claims for decades about biological weapons in an attempt to create mistrust in the peaceful global efforts and public health institutions that counter biological threats.”
“Russia has a history of accusing others of doing what it is doing itself, and its recent biological weapons claims related to Ukraine are no different. The United States assesses that Russia continues to maintain an offensive biological weapons program in violation of its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention,” the report added.
The report gave numerous examples of the disinformation that Russia has promulgated since the start of the war, including one of its “most notable false claims is that the United States worked with Ukraine to train an army of migratory birds, mosquitos and even bats to carry biological weapons into Russia,” which it added was “absurd.”
The report described the false claims as being spread through “Russia’s disinformation and propaganda ecosystem, such as Kremlin-funded media outlets and Russian Intelligence-linked websites” and “so-called ‘experts’” who speak to the Russian press.
It also highlighted Russia’s parliamentary commission investigating what it alleges are US biological laboratories in Ukraine, which the report said spreads false information about biological weapons.
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US drone that went down in Black Sea has not been recovered, military says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
The US Reaper drone that crashed after being struck by a Russian fighter jet has not been recovered in the Black Sea, a spokesperson for US European Command said.
In an earlier statement the commander for US Air Forces Europe said the drone was “hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” US Air Forces commander Gen. James Hecker said.
Some more context: CNN reported earlier a Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, according to a US official familiar with the incident.
The Reaper drone and two SU-27 Flanker jets were operating over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel in front of the unmanned drone, according to the official.
President Joe Biden was briefed Tuesday morning by National security adviser Jake Sullivan about the incident, according to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. US officials are planning to contact Russia to voice concern about the drone incident, according to Kirby.
