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Allegations surfaced after a US drone was shot down by a Russian jet

STORY: The mid-air collision between a US spy drone and a Russian warplane in international airspace sparked strong condemnation from Washington and denials from Moscow. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday warned the Kremlin after a Russian Su-27 plane intercepted, hit and damaged the propeller of an American MQ-9 “Reaper” drone the day before, forcing operators to launch it into the waters of the US Plunging the Black Sea. “It is incumbent on Russia to operate its military aircraft in a safe and professional manner. “American allies have expressed similar concerns. Here is British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace speaking on a visit to Japan: “The key here is that all parties respect international airspace. We call on the Russians to do so.” held territory and said there had been no collision, claiming the MQ-9 went down all by itself. Russia’s ambassador to the US told Russian state television the drone was part of it determined to provoke a Russian response so the Americans could accuse Russian pilots of unprofessionalism The shooting down of the drone marks the first incident since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, a conflict that has seen a steadily growing number of US Weapons – mainly operated by Ukrainians – clashed with Russian weapons.”We have been waiting for something like this to happen for some time. It is surprising that it has not happened.”Professor Michael Clarke is the former Director General of the Royal United Services Institute in London “The United States has been flying drones in open airspace over the Black Sea, which they re are legally fully justified. The Russians have been trying to disrupt and disrupt them for months. It was only a matter of time before something like that happened.” Despite Russian denials, Clark told Reuters he believes the collision was real, albeit unintentional. “This was almost certainly, I’m ninety-nine percent certain , an accident in the propeller of a Reaper drone is not yet born. [flash] So I’m sure it’s an accident and this pilot is very lucky.” Clark said the promised American response will likely be to reinforce its current stance. recognized airspace, and the Russians will almost certainly continue to try to frustrate them in any way they can.” .