The US invited the Russian ambassador to speak in protest over the downing of the drone

Washington [US], March 15: The American authorities announced this evening that they summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington to the State Department because a Russian plane shot down an American drone over the Black Sea during the day.
"We are in direct contact with the Russians, at a high level, in order to convey to them a strong objection for the unprofessional interception that caused the downing of our drone," said the spokesman of American diplomacy, Ned Price (Price).
According to him, Washington summoned the Russian ambassador to the State Department, while the American ambassador in Moscow submitted a note of protest to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Price assessed that it was an "obvious violation of international law".
A Russian Su-27 fighter jet shot down an American Reaper drone today over the Black Sea, an area closely monitored by NATO since the start of the war in Ukraine, the US military announced.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that previously Russian planes had intercepted US drones, but added that today's incident was "reckless and unique" because it led to the loss of the drone.
The Russian military denied that it shot down an American drone
The Russian military announced today that two of its fighters intercepted an American drone over the Black Sea, but added that they did not hit it or shoot it down, contrary to what Washington announced.
"After rough maneuvering around 9:30 a.m. Moscow time, the (American) MK-9 unmanned aerial vehicle lost control and hit the surface of the water," the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.
The statement added that the Russian fighters did not use their weapons, did not come into contact with the drone and returned safely to their base.
The Ministry of Defense said the drone was flying with its radars turned off and that it had violated the "temporary airspace regime zone established for the conduct of a special military operation" in Ukraine, which led to the interception of the drone.
It is added that "all users of the international airspace have been informed about the existence of that air zone for Russian military operations and this has been done in accordance with international standards".
The Russian Ministry stated that the drone was detected "in the area of ​​the Crimean peninsula" and that it was advancing towards the Russian border.
The US military announced earlier today that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet shot down an American Reaper drone over the Black Sea, an area that NATO has been closely monitoring since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
The American authorities summoned the Russian ambassador in Washington to the State Department because of that incident. The American ambassador in Moscow handed the Russian diplomacy a note of protest.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that previously Russian planes had intercepted US drones, but added that today's incident was "reckless and unique" because it led to the loss of the drone.
Source: Beta News Agency