Ukraine war latest: US drone crashes over Black Sea after colliding with Russian fighter jet – but was this a provocation?
A Russian fighter jet has collided with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in international airspace over the Black Sea this afternoon, causing the latter to crash. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
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Russian fighter jet collides with US unmanned aircraft View post | Washington condemns act as ‘unsafe, reckless and unprofessional’ View post
Stuart Ramsay: Russian collision with US drone ‘certainly a provocation’ View post
But the Kremlin denies it hit the aircraft View post
Russia does not want any confrontation with US, says ambassador View post
School children in ‘butchered’ city forced to raise Russian flag View post
Moscow firing shells that are ‘unfit for use’ due to rationing View post
Live reporting by Brad Young, with updates from chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay in eastern Ukraine
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6h ago
18:30
State media contradicts Russian ambassadors call to avoid US confrontation
Russian state media has reported that Moscow views the downing of a US drone over the Black Sea as a provocation.
The US and Russia have been engaged in information warfare over the destruction of the drone in international waters.
The Pentagon says a Russia jet tried to pour fuel on the drone before clipping its propeller, while Moscow claims the drone’s US operators failed to fly it properly.
Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov is reported to have told Russia state media agency Tass: “We view this incident as a provocation.”
The report comes just hours after Mr Antonov said he had a “constructive conversation” with Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Karen Donfried at the US state department.
“We don’t want any confrontation between the US and the Russian Federation. We are in favour of pragmatic relations for the interest of the people of the US and Russian Federation,” Mr Antonov told reporters, including Sky News, at the time.
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7h ago
18:00
Car bomb kills official in occupied Ukraine – reports
A car bomb has killed a Ukrainian official believed to have cooperated with Russian forces in the occupied southeastern region, according to reports.
Ivan Tkach died from the injuries caused by the explosion in Melitopol, reported both Ukrainian and Russian media.
Ukrainksa Pravda reported Mr Tkach had helped organise the transfer of Russian soldiers to and from Donetsk, Kherson and Crimea.
The chairman of We Are Together With Russia, a pro-Russian organisation in the Zaporizhzhia region, also said in a Telegram post Mr Tkach had been labelled a traitor in Ukraine for cooperating with Russia.
A makeshift device caused an explosion equivalent to one kilogram of TNT and injured a woman and a child, said Russian state media agency Tass.
Sky News cannot independently verify these reports.
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7h ago
17:45
Russian state media ‘teaching citizens Ukrainian children should be drowned’
Russian state media is teaching its citizens that Ukrainian children should be drowned, a history expert has told the UN.
The education of its people to believe “genocide is normal” is doing irreparable harm to its culture professor of history at Yale University Timothy Snyder said at the UN Security Council.
He said that harm to Russia is a result of Russian policy, not the West, accusing the state of forcing 750,000 of its people to leave the country by invading Ukraine.
The professor said: “If you stand in Russia with a sign saying ‘no to war’, you will be arrested and very likely imprisoned. If you stand in Ukraine with a sign that says ‘no to war’’ regardless of what language it is in, nothing will happen to you.”
Referring to the normalisation of genocide, he said: “We see this in the President of Russia’s repeated claims that Ukraine does not exist. We see this in genocidal fantasies on Russian state media.”
“We see this when Russian state television proclaims that Ukrainian children should be drowned.”
‘UK fought two wars with Russia, we are not Russophobic’
A top UK official told the council that Russophobia is one of an “ever-growing list of excuses the Russian government has come up with to justify its war”.
Speaking in fluent Russian, Minister Counsellor Fergus Eckersley said the UK does not suffer from Russophobia – something the Kremlin has accused Western allies of Ukraine of practicing.
“We fought together in two world wars. I myself spent seven years studying Russia’s language, its history and its remarkable literature”.
“We do not want Russia to fail as a state, as the Russian delegation sometimes claims. Quite the opposite, in fact. We want Russia to be a prosperous and stable nation – just one that does not invade and try to annex its neighbours.”
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7h ago
17:30
Military drills and presidential visits
Units of one of the territorial defence brigade participate in military drills on a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, while Vladimir Putin visits a helicopter manufacturing plant in the Buryatia republic, Russia.
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Vladimir Putin visits aviation plant in Ulan-Ude
Vladimir Putin visits aviation plant in Ulan-Ude
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8h ago
17:13
Russia does not want any confrontation with US, says ambassador
Russia does not want any confrontation with the US, its ambassador has said, following the downing of an American drone in the Black Sea.
Speaking outside a meeting at the state department, Anatoly Antonov said he had a “constructive conversation” with Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Karen Donfried, after being summoned.
The meeting follows a statement from the Pentagon which said a Russian jet had tried several times to pour fuel in front of a US drone in international airspace before clipping its propeller, forcing it into the Black Sea – which Russia denies.
“We don’t want any confrontation between the US and the Russian Federation. We are in favour of pragmatic relations for the interest of the people of the US and Russian Federation,” said Mr Antonov.
“We have exchanged our remarks on the issue because we have some differences on what has happened today.”
He added: “It seems to me that it was a constructive conversation on this issue. I have heard her remarks, I hope that she has understood what I have mentioned.”
Asked whether the war in Ukraine was discussed, the Russian ambassador to the US said: “We are not discussing war in Ukraine because there is no war in Ukraine. There is a problem of special military operation that is being conducted by the Russian Federation.
“The purpose and aims of this operation are crystal clear. We have explained in many times.”
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8h ago
16:55
Russian ambassador arrives for drone crash meeting
The Russian ambassador has arrived at the US state department, having been summoned over the collision between a Russian fighter jet and a US drone.
Anatoly Antonov will meet with Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Karen Donfried to discuss the the destruction of the unmanned aircraft.
The US said a Russian jet attempted to pour fuel in front of the drone in international airspace before clipping its propeller, forcing it into the Black Sea, while Russia claims no contact was made and that the drone was near Crimea.
Anatoly Antonov, centre
Anatoly Antonov, centre
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8h ago
16:40
Ukrainian soldiers in desperate need of Western weapons as they defend Bakhmut
There’s an eerie sense of foreboding in the villages, towns, and cities of eastern Ukraine – especially those within firing distance of Russian artillery, and the fighting in the nearby city of Bakhmut.
At breakfast time we were startled by the sound of an explosion near where we are staying in Kramatorsk.
A residential neighbourhood had been hit by a Russian missile, at least one person died.
Whole apartments had been destroyed and as the emergency services started rescuing the injured, survivors picked through the ruins looking for belongings.
The contents of their home were strewn across the road, along with glass and debris from the explosion.
Read Sky News’ chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay’s full eyewitness report here…
Ukrainian soldiers in desperate need of Western weapons as they defend Bakhmut
Sky News
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8h ago
16:25
Syrian president lands in Moscow for talks with Putin
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in Moscow on his first official visit outside the middle east since two earthquakes struck Syria and Turkey.
He is set to hold talks with Vladimir Putin, accompanied by a large ministerial delegation.
Russia has backed Mr Assad during a 12-year civil war ongoing in Syria, providing military support and political reinforcement at the United Nations.
Syria recognises the Russian-controlled Luhansk and Donetsk regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and sovereign entities.
Talks will include “further development of Russian-Syrian co-operation in the political, trade, economic and humanitarian spheres, as well as the prospects for a comprehensive settlement of the situation in and around Syria” according to a statement carried by Russia’s state news agency, Tass.
Tomorrow, Syrian, Turkish and Russian deputy foreign ministers, as well as a senior adviser to their Iranian counterpart, are expected to discuss “counterterrorism efforts” in Syria.
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9h ago
16:08
Senate leader warns Putin: ‘stop before you cause escalation’
The US senate majority leader has warned Vladimir Putin to stop his “reckless” behaviour before it causes an “unintended escalation”, following the destruction of an American drone.
A Russian jet fighter attempted to dump fuel on a US drone in international airspace today before clipping its propeller, according to the Pentagon.
It said the drone’s operators were forced to crash land it into the Black Sea due to the damage, but Russia denies its jets ever made contact.
Senate leader Chuck Schumer this evening called the incident “another reckless act” by the Russian president and his military.
“I want to tell Mr. Putin: stop this behaviour before you are the reason for an unintended escalation,” he said.
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9h ago
15:35
Morocco steps in for Ukraine in World Cup bid
Morocco has stepped in for Ukraine in a joint bid with Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup.
Ukraine had initially been set to make a bid alongside its western European partners, but the plans have been dropped with no end in sight for the war.
This is one of two groups of joint hosting hopefuls, with Argentina, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay also making a finals bid together.
“I would like to announce that the Kingdom of Morocco has decided, together with Spain and Portugal, to present a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup,” Morocco’s King Mohammed VI said in a letter.
“This joint bid, which is unprecedented in football history, will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds.”
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10h ago
15:15
US trying to destroy drone ‘secrets’ while Russia likely scrambling to retrieve it
The collision of a Russian fighter jet with a US drone “underlines the risk of direct confrontation” between the two nations, our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes has said.
She explained the war in Ukraine has increased the air and ship traffic operating around that area – and therefore the risk of unintended escalation.
The US doesn’t currently have the ability to recover the MQ-9 Reaper drone, and there will be “sensitive elements on board”, says Haynes.
“The Americans will have done all they can to make sure that anything that is secret is not accessible: is deleted, destroyed.”
She adds that at the same time, the Russians will be mobilising to retrieve the remains of the multi-million dollar vehicle.
While Russia claimed the drone was spotted near Crimea, the US has denied this in no uncertain terms – a sign of the “information war” running parallel to that on the battlefield.
With the Russian ambassador summoned to the White House, Haynes says the incident is “clearly being taken very seriously”.
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10h ago
14:56
Pentagon says drone collision ‘likely damaged’ Russian jet
Drone interceptions are not uncommon, but “this type of behaviour is uncommon, unfortunate and unsafe”, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder tells reporters.
He describes the actions of the Russian pilots as “unsafe, unprofessional,” adding: “I think the actions speak for themselves.”
Mr Ryder says the Russian Su-27 which clipped the propeller of the drone would likely have been damaged.
The drone’s operators were forced to crash it following the collision because the damage to the MQ-9’s propeller made it uncontrollable, he says.
Asked whether the drone was flying near Ukraine, he adds it was “well clear of any territory in Ukraine”.
He declines to comment on recovery operations for the drone, but adds “Russia does not have the drone”.
The MQ-9 drone does have the ability to be armed but it was carrying out an intelligence and reconnaissance mission in international waters and the Pentagon will not comment on whether weapons were on board, said Mr Ryder.
He says two Su-27s were flying with the drone for around 40 minutes, but there was no radio communications between the US and Russia over the drone before the collision.
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10h ago
14:41
Russian jet ‘did not hit’ US drone – Kremlin
Russian fighter jets did not come into contact with an American drone which was brought down over the Black Sea, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
It alleged the drone was manoeuvred by its own pilots too sharply, leading to a loss of altitude and the MQ-9 colliding with the water.
“The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their home airfield,” the defence ministry said.
The drone was flying towards the Russian border with its transponders – wireless communication devices – turned off, said the ministry.
It alleged Russian fighters were in the area to identify the object.
The Russian response comes after the US accused two of Moscow’s pilots of attempting to dump fuel on the drone before one clipped the propeller and crashed it.
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10h ago
14:20
White House summons Russian ambassador
The White House has summoned the Russian ambassador over the collision of a Russian fighter jet with a US drone over international waters.
If you’re just joining us now, two Su-27 planes had attempted to intercept the drone by dumping fuel in front of it several times before clipping its propeller in what the US called a “reckless” manoeuvre.
Anatoly Antonov
Anatoly Antonov
The downing of the MQ-9 was the latest in a series of actions undertaken by Russian aircrew which the US European Command described as “dangerous and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation.”
The White House are communicating with Russian officials at “senior levels” to communicate their objections, with Anatoly Antonov expected in Washington this afternoon, local time.
We will be hearing from the Pentagon at around 6.30pm.
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11h ago
14:09
Putin: Nord Stream blasts carried out on ‘state level’
Moving away from the situation over the Black Sea for a moment…
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that alleged blasts on the Nord Stream gas pipelines that took place last year were carried out on a “state level”.
He also dismissed the idea that an autonomous pro-Ukraine group was responsible as “complete nonsense”.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea were hit by a series of unexplained explosions last September, in what Moscow has called an act of “international terrorism”.
Denmark, Germany and Sweden have conducted their own investigations into the blasts, but Moscow says it has not been kept informed about the probe.
“We asked the Danish authorities… about a request to work together or to form an international group of experts, specialists,” Mr Putin said.
“The answer, as I said, was vague. Simply put, no answer. They said we had to wait.”
He went on to claim that an “explosion of this power… can only be carried out by specialists, and supported by the full power of the state”.
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11h ago
14:04
Coming up on Sky News
In around half an hour, we’ll be hearing from the Pentagon.
Mara Karlin, acting as deputy undersecretary of defence for policy, and press secretary Pat Ryder will brief the media on the situation in the Black Sea.
It has been reported that a Russian fighter jet collided with a MQ-9 Reaper drone, causing the latter to crash over international waters.
We’ll have all the latest as it happens.
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11h ago
13:54
Black Sea crash underlines risk of unintended escalation in crowded airspace
The downing of a US drone after an “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept by Russian jets over the Black Sea underlines the risk of unintended escalation in the increasingly crowded airspace close to Ukraine.
It will be key how the United States chooses to respond to what seems to have been an accidental, rather than deliberate, crash.
Yet the US military said the Russian Su-27 fighter planes dumped fuel on the MQ-9 Reaper drone “several times” and flew in front of it “in a reckless, environmentally-unsound and unprofessional manner”.
One of the jets then collided with the drone’s propeller, forcing the unmanned aircraft to crash into the sea.
Last year, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed that a missile was released from a Russian aircraft near an unarmed RAF plane on a routine patrol over the Black Sea.
He described the incident on 29 September as a “potentially dangerous engagement” but said it was not deemed a “deliberate escalation”.
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11h ago
13:39
Russian collision with US drone ‘certainly a provocation’
The collision of a Russian fighter jet with an unmanned US drone was “certainly a provocation”, said our chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay.
Reacting to news of the collision, Ramsay said this wasn’t the first time Russian forces have attempted this sort of manoeuvre.
“The Russian’s do have form for this type of thing, but it just ramps it up and makes this terrible situation even more dangerous,” he said.
“It really does ramp things up if they actually start to engage with American forces and European fighter jets as well.
“At the moment this isn’t a case, this is a drone, they probably consider that something like fair game.”
He added that Russia has “obviously been angry” about US support for Ukraine.
“A provocation for certain, it will be interesting to see where it develops.”
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11h ago
13:35
NATO allies ‘informed’ about Black Sea crash
A top military commander from the North Atlantic Alliance has informed Western allies about the reported incident over the Black Sea today.
General Christopher Cavoli has reportedly briefed all 30 member states on the situation, in which a MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed over international waters.
“General (Christopher) Cavoli has briefed NATO allies on the incident today,” an official has said.
The US air force said a Russian Su-27 fighter jet had struck the propeller of the surveillance drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash.
The incident was condemned as “reckless” by the US military.
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11h ago
13:28
What is an MQ-9 Reaper drone – and the fighter jet which struck it?
As we have been reporting, an unmanned US aircraft was struck by a Russian fighter jet and crashed over the Black Sea this afternoon.
But what are these two aircraft – and why were they there?
MQ-9 Reaper
The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted drone used for surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as attack missions.
Its crew is comprised of a pilot, sensor operator and ground intelligence co-ordinator, who together can fly the vehicle to more than 50,000ft.
It cay be equipped with missiles but US European command said the drone which crashed today was an intelligence aircraft.
Su-27
The Su-27 fighter jet is a Soviet-era invention originally built in 1982 to counter powerful US plane technology.
It is armed with a 30mm gun, and is capable of firing a range of missiles, rockets and bombs.
Versions of the Su-27 have reportedly been flown by both sides of the war in Ukraine.
