The pilots responsible for downing a US surveillance drone approaching disputed territory were awarded the Order of Courage and given Gold Star medals by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, 22 March 2023. Russia conferred the state awards on the two fighter pilots the day after the US military declassified a video clip of the incident. The move implies a more aggressive stance against US military operations near Russia’s perceived borders.

In the first military incident between the United States and Russia since the latter’s invasion of the Ukraine began in February 2022, the two countries continue to dispute what occurred on 14 March over the Black Sea. The US claims its MQ-9 Reaper drone was in international airspace when a Russian Su-27 fighter jet flew in front of it and dumped fuel on the drone several times. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder says that the two aircraft then collided just after 7 a.m. CET, “resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9.”

 The Russian Defense Ministry claims that the drone was flying in territory that it had annexed from the Ukraine, stating “The drone flew with its transponders off, violating the boundaries of the area of the temporary airspace usage regime established for the special military operation [and] communicated to all users of international airspace,” according to The Moscow Times.

While the situation risks escalation between the world powers, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov reiterated that Russia does not want “confrontation” between his country and the US stating, “We prefer not to create a situation where we can face unintended clashes or unintended incidents between the Russian Federation and the United States.”

While the United States has announced that its spy flights in the region have resumed, the National Security Council has expressed doubt that the downed drone will be recovered from the deep waters of the Black Sea.

^{PHOTO: SPUTNIK}