An official at the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) told Al-Jazeera today, Tuesday, that a collision occurred between a Russian fighter and an American "MQ-9" drone over the Black Sea, and that the accident led to the loss of the march.
The official explained that the American drone was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace over the Black Sea, according to him, and that the collision occurred after two Russian fighters tracked the American march in an "unprofessional and unsafe" manner.
For his part, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the incident occurred as a result of "reckless, unsafe and unprofessional behavior on the Russian side."
Kirby stated that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan briefed President Joe Biden on the collision.
He added that the US State Department intends to communicate with Russian officials about the incident, stressing that the American march did not pose a threat to anyone and was operating in international airspace, according to him.