Destruction of the American drone in the Black Sea, an incident far from isolated

► What do we know about the destruction of the American drone?

The Pentagon was quick to publish images of the interception of its MQ-9 Reaper drone by two Russian fighter jets on Tuesday March 14 over the Black Sea. The broadcast sequence lasts a total of forty-two seconds. The beginning of the scene shows a Sukhoi 27 fighter approaching the American machine by dropping gasoline with the intention of making it change course.

It was during a second pass, twenty-four seconds later, that a Russian pilot struck the aircraft, damaging one of the propeller blades. “We know the aggressive behavior was intentional,” explained the chief of staff of the armies Mark Milley.

After the collision, the Reaper sank in the Black Sea. Russian authorities say they want to draft him to prove the involvement of US support in operations in Ukraine. The machine, which was not armed, was probably carrying out one of the many NATO surveillance missions off the Crimea, as many rotations which took on a highly flammable nature after the outbreak of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

► Was Russia in its right to intercept the American drone?

The incident that led to the downing of the MQ-9 Reaper took place on the high seas, over international waters: territory open to navigation and overflight by any state. “Freedom of overflight in international airspace includes the act of monitoring activities within the territory of another State, so long as the monitoring is conducted from within international airspace,” writes lawyer Ashley Deeks, professor at the University of Virginia, in an article published by The Conversation.

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If Russia claims to be in no way involved in the destruction of the American drone, it considers the interception of its fighters legitimate in the name of respecting a maritime and air exclusion zone off Crimea that it has itself. even decreed for its operation in Ukraine.

The creation of such a “security zone”, which largely affects international waters, is not a first in wartime: other nations, including the Americans in 2003 during their intervention in Iraq, the decided in the name of securing neutral ships. “However, neutral ships and aircraft do not become lawful targets simply because they enter these areas”ajoute Ashley Deeks.

► Is this incident likely to happen again in the future?

The Black Sea became an area of ​​high tension after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, which allowed Russia to become the dominant power in the region. Incidents between Russian and Western aircraft continued to multiply thereafter in this particularly sensitive area.

Most of the time, Russian pilots simply signal their presence to their American or European counterparts who fly over international zones. “But sometimes they behave in ways that are considered dangerous and unprofessional,” remind on Twitter Dara Massicot, analyst at the Rand think tank.

In 2000, a Russian fighter had thus cut off the road to an American B-52 bomber by deliberately brushing it. These actions would have several motives: to issue warnings in response to the growing activity of Westerners in the Black Sea or to intimidate aircraft in order to make them change their flight plan.