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"The deliberate attack on a Russian plane in neutral airspace could be taken as an open declaration of war by the largest nuclear power," Russian Ambassador to the USA Anatoly Antonov commented to TASS.

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"An armed conflict between Russia and the United States will be fundamentally different from the proxy war the Americans are waging against us in Ukraine," he warned, asking: "Is the Capitol prepared to put American citizens and the international community at risk of full-scale nuclear war?" "

However, the ambassador emphasized that Moscow is not looking for a confrontation. 

Moscow views the US drone incident as a provocation, the Russian ambassador to Washington said

"The threats of some politicians go far beyond the bounds of common sense," he said, commenting on US Senator Lindsey Graham's threats to shoot down Russian planes that approach American ones in international airspace.

"US aircrafts shouldn't be flying near the Russian border, imagine Washington's reaction if a foreign military aircraft appeared near New York or San Francisco"



- Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov on the American drone that crashed in the Black Sea.

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— Richard (@ricwe123) March 16, 2023

Anatoly Antonov pointed out that the Russian Ministry of Defense explained in detail the reasons and the course of actions of the Russian pilots during the incident over the Black Sea.

"I repeat for those who do not want to look objectively at the situation. Our fighters did not come into contact with the American drone," he said, commenting on the loss of the MQ-9 drone.

He confirmed that Russia had done everything possible to prevent such an incident. 

"Of course, it is inconvenient for the Pentagon to lose an expensive facility. But in this case, the American military should redirect the accusations of unprofessionalism back to themselves," Antonov noted.

They found the downed US drone 900 meters deep in the Black Sea

"As for Lindsey Graham, this is far from his first attempt to provoke a dangerous escalation in US-Russian relations. A year ago, he called on our citizens to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Does Senator Graham really believe that a direct military confrontation with Russia is in the interest of the voters who entrusted him with their lives and livelihood," the Russian ambassador noted. 

On Tuesday, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet hit the propeller of an American Reaper surveillance drone, causing it to crash into the Black Sea. 

The United States accused Russia of "inappropriate, irresponsible and dangerous behavior" in connection with yesterday's incident over the Black Sea.

"Our aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and struck by a Russian aircraft.

This resulted in a crash and total loss of the MQ-9," James Hecker, a general and commander of the US Air Force, was quoted as saying by 24 Hours.

According to the European Command, before the collision, the planes dumped fuel on the drone.

A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a US surveillance drone in international airspace, forcing it to crash into the Black Sea, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

President Biden has been briefed and the Russian ambassador was summoned to the State Department.

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— CBS Evening News (@CBSEeveningNews) March 14, 2023

The Russian plane was likely damaged in the incident but landed afterward, said Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman.

Moscow has denied and said the US drone probably crashed as a result of a sharp manoeuvre, while the Russian Defense Ministry rejected claims there had been a collision at all.

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