A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted and struck the propeller of a U.S. military MQ-9 “Reaper” surveillance drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash into the Black Sea, the Pentagon said, in the first such incident since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over a year ago.

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli, briefed NATO allies about the incident, which was roundly condemned by the White House and the Pentagon – which warned of the risk of escalation.

See Also:

Should the names of Stanford student disrupters be published? – Analysis

There was no immediate comment from Moscow.

Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the U.S. military described as a reckless intercept of the American spy drone before one of them collided with it at 7:03 a.m. (0603 GMT).

Read more: Reuters