Russia says it scrambled jets to intercept two US drones near Crimea

Moscow said Monday that it had scrambled two fighter jets to intercept two US reconnaissance drones near Crimea. The Russian defence ministry said on Telegram that it mobilised the two jets after it “detected a flight in the direction of the Russian state border”. According to the ministry, the two US drones, a Reaper and a Global Hawk, were “carrying out aerial reconnaissance in the region of the Crimean peninsula”, near the Black Sea. Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. After the arrival of the Russian planes, the drones “changed their direction of flight and left the areas where aerial reconnaissance was being conducted,” the ministry added. Incidents involving Russian aircraft and US drones have increased in recent months. On Sunday, Russia said it had scrambled a fighter plane to deter a US air force reconnaissance drone from crossing its borders over the Black Sea.