Russian ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov, after his meeting at the State Department yesterday, told reporters that the flight of the U.S. MQ-9 drone that crashed into the Black Sea after an encounter with two Russian SU-27 jet fighters was a provocation. “The aircraft was flying with its transponders off, and it entered the zone of the special military operation. It [the information about the zone] was made public via international channels. We, Russia, have warned everyone about it. I think this was a real provocation,” he said. “They provoked us to take a certain action, which would allow them to accuse Russia and the Russian military of being non-professional.”
“Most importantly, I think that U.S. aircraft and vessels have no business near the borders of the Russian Federation,” he continued. “Can you imagine a plane or a drone of this type near New York or San Francisco? Can you imagine the reaction of the U.S. media and the Pentagon to such a drone?”
