Meanwhile, In The Black Sea…

Meanwhile, in the Black Sea, two Russian fighter pilots had a little fun with a US Reaper drone.

“The Su-27s dumped fuel on [it] and flew in front [it],” US European Command complained, in a statement which, despite being somewhat amusing, nevertheless underscored the perilous state of a world at war.

The Russian warplanes intercepted the MQ-9 while it was “conducting routine operations in international airspace.” International airspace adjacent to a war zone, I’d add.

Like a couple of rowdy rural residents who run across a Prius on their way home from the bar, the Su-27s proceeded to harass the drone, before ultimately striking its propeller, which in turn compelled its operators to bring the unmanned craft down in the water.

The crash was, according to the US military, “a complete loss.” And so, America mourns yet another fallen soldier. And also $32 million in drowned taxpayer money.

The incident was trending on social media Tuesday, but John Kirby was keen to note that Russia has conducted several intercepts recently, and the same statement from European Command said Russian pilots now engage in “dangerous actions” almost as a matter of course.

Kirby called this episode “noteworthy because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was.” The decision to dump fuel on the Reaper presumably meant dumping fuel into the sea as well, and at least according to the US account, the Su-27 which struck the drone nearly crashed itself. US officials suggested that was evidence of “a lack of competence.”

I’d be more inclined to say it was evidence of the same sort of brazen disregard for anybody and everything that the Russian military is demonstrating in Ukraine. On that score, Tuesday found Reuters detailing heinous allegations against Russian snipers who, along with other members of the 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, stand accused by local prosecutors of committing a string of nightmarish crimes in Brovary.

Commenting further on the drone incident Tuesday, Kirby said that if Russia was trying to “deter or dissuade us from flying and operating… over the Black Sea, that is not going to happen.” “The Black Sea belongs to no one nation,” he added.