The incident between the American reconnaissance drone and the Russian fighter jet is a signal that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to expand the conflict zone in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing a high-ranking defense official from Kiev, BTA reported.

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The US military said yesterday that a Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a reconnaissance drone, forcing it to crash into the Black Sea.

A Russian fighter jet collided with an American drone over the Black Sea

Moscow denied the US version of events and said the drone crashed as a result of "abrupt manoeuvres".

The administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the government did not immediately comment officially on the incident.

However, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, expressed his concerns.

"The incident with the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, provoked by Moscow in the Black Sea, is a signal from the Kremlin that it is ready to expand the conflict zone with the involvement of other countries," he said.

According to Danilov, Russia's tactic is to "constantly raise the stakes" in the hope that this will change the "conditions of strategic defeat" for Russia in its year-long war in Ukraine.

Russian invasion of Ukraine