Russia warns of ‘response’ against U.S. drones over Black Sea

Russian Defence Ministry warns of potential confrontation with U.S. over drone flights in Black Sea, escalating tensions.

Russia’s Defence Minister ordered officials to prepare a “response” to U.S. drone flights over the Black Sea, the Ministry said on Friday, in an apparent warning that Moscow may take forceful action to ward off the American reconnaissance aircraft.

The Russian Defence Ministry noted a recent “increased intensity” of U.S. drones over the Black Sea, saying they “conduct intelligence and targeting for precision weapons supplied to the Ukrainian military by Western countries for strikes on Russian facilities”.

“It shows an increased involvement of the U.S. and other NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the Ministry said in a statement.

It noted that “such flights significantly increase the probability of incidents involving Russian military aircraft, which increases the risk of direct confrontation between the alliance and the Russian Federation”.

“NATO members will bear responsibility for that,” it added.

The Ministry said that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has directed the General Staff to “make proposals on measures of operative response to provocations”.

Washington and Moscow have clashed before over U.S. drones in the Black Sea. In a 2023 incident, a Russian fighter jet damaged an American drone there, causing it to crash.