Heating Up: Russia Blames U.S. 'Hostile Flights' For Forcing Drone Down To The Water (Video)

Now, things are heating up with news that Russia forced down an American drone over the Black Sea.

The collision happened in international waters, meaning it was legal for the drone and Russian planes to be in air space on Tuesday. United States military officials said that Russian jets dumped fuel on the drone. Then, they clipped its propeller, forcing the drone down.

Russia, however, tells a different story. They claim that the drone was performing sharp maneuvers and then crashed. According to Russia, there was no collision. Russia further claims that the United States is escalating the situation, which is unnecessary.

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According to Fox News, “‘We assume that the United States will refrain from further speculation in the media and stop flights near Russian borders,’ said Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov on Wednesday.”

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The State Department summoned Antov to discuss the issue. However, Antov isn’t exactly supporting the United States in the matter. Instead, he took to Telegram to say that any act involving weaponry from the United States is hostile. Antov further points out that if a Russian drone appeared at the cost of the United States, how would America react?

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Many believe this is Putin’s way of escalating tensions between the two countries. They say the show of force is a clear sign that Putin is ready and willing to take the conflict in Ukraine to other countries. Per Fox News, “The incident with the American MQ-9 Reaper UAV — provoked by Russia over the Black Sea — is Putin’s way of signaling his readiness to expand the conflict to involve other parties,” said National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov. “The purpose of this all-in tactic is always to raise the stakes.”