Russia denied that its fighter jet took down a U.S. drone Tuesday over the Black Sea—blaming the incident instead on the aircraft’s “sharp maneuvering.” Nonetheless, Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said, “We view this incident as a provocation” after being summoned to a meeting with State Department officials, according to Reuters. Pentagon officials originally said the drone, a MQ-9 surveillance vessel, came crashing down to earth after a Russian Su-27 jet struck its propeller. It was the first reported conflict between the two country’s aircraft since the invasion began more than a year ago, Reuters reported.
