The United States has released 42 seconds of declassified footage shedding light on the collision between a Russian warplane and an unarmed U.S. reconnaissance drone, which had been flying over the Black Sea in international airspace.
The video shows two high-speed passes by Su-27 interceptors. The Russian fighters twice dump jet fuel on the American MQ-9 Reaper drone. On one of the passes, according to the Pentagon, a Russian pilot clipped the U.S. drone, causing it to fall out of the sky.
Defense secretary Lloyd Austin has rightly castigated Russia for its “dangerous and reckless and unprofessional behavior.” The Kremlin responded by declaring that the Russian military may attempt to recover the drone’s wreckage. The incident is the first known direct contact by American and Russian forces since Vladimir Putin’s second invasion of Ukraine last year.
Thankfully, the U.S. has said it has already undertaken measures — remotely — to limit the loss of sensitive intelligence, and General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the press that “we’re quite confident that whatever was of value is no longer of value.” Of course, whether the Russians have the ability to recover the drone from the bottom of the sea — at depths of 4,000 to 5,000 feet — is an open question.
The United States is correct to express indignation over the incident. We have and should consult with our allies and present a united front. The U.S. has nothing to apologize for in flying a reconnaissance drone over international waters, something we have been doing for more than a year during the present conflict. The escalatory act here was entirely on the part of Russia. And it also doesn’t speak well of the effectiveness of the measures currently put in place to prevent this sort of thing.
But the fact that the Russians are being reckless doesn’t require us to respond rashly. Our move should be to warn the Russians directly, in public and via back channels, that such behavior will not be tolerated. For the time being, any further American reconnaissance flights should be escorted by U.S. and allied fighter jets in a demonstration of controlled, prudent resolve. Before such flights are launched, we should be clear about exactly how we will respond to a similar Russian intercept.
The best news out of this incident is that the loss of an unmanned drone was just that. No American blood was shed, which would have required a tougher response. But the Kremlin has once again shown itself to be aggressive, reckless, and dishonest.
The U.S. and its allies should respond with cool heads. This is a time for speaking softly and clearly. The Russians know that we have a big stick.