The US Navy has accused a Russian fighter jet of firing on one of its drones in international airspace over the Black Sea.
The US Navy said that two Russian Su-35 fighter jets had “intercepted” the MQ-9 Reaper drone near the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula on Wednesday.
The Navy said the Russian jets had “escalated the interaction” by firing warning shots and a single cannon burst that struck the drone.
The US Navy said the incident was “unsafe and unprofessional” and that it was the first time a Russian aircraft had fired on a US drone.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Russia over various issues, including the war in Syria and Russian interference in the 2016 US election.