The US Military European Command has released footage of a mid-air encounter between an American surveillance drone and Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea.
The newly declassified video shows critical moments of the altercation, which lasted 30-40 minutes, according to the Pentagon.
In the roughly 40-second video, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet is seen coming very close to the drone and dumping what US officials believe to be fuel, near it in an apparent attempt to damage the American aircraft.
It also shows the video feed being lost after a second pass by a Russian jet, which the Pentagon attributes to its collision with the drone.
The video ends with images of the drone's damaged propeller, which the US says rendered the aircraft inoperable.
Russia claims that American drone flights near Crimea are provocative, and could lead to an escalation.
The US military's top general has stated that there is a pattern of increasing Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US of ignoring the fact that the Kremlin had established air space restrictions in the area.
The drone's crash into the Black Sea is currently under investigation.
The MQ-9 "Reaper" unmanned aerial vehicle can loiter at up to 50,000 feet for more than 27 hours, gathering intelligence with sophisticated cameras, sensors, and radars.
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER.
Stay in the loop on some of the most important things happening at Today FM - whether it be the biggest news stories, host opinions or the latest on what you need to know about happening on air and on our website. Sign up here.
