WASHINGTON, February 5 – RIA Novosti. US President Joe Biden said last Wednesday he ordered the shooting down of a blimp but heeded the Pentagon’s advice and decided not to endanger those on the ground.

As he noted, the Pentagon decided that it was necessary to lower the balloon over the water so as not to endanger the residents of the United States. “They shot it down successfully and I want to commend our airmen who did it,” Biden said.

Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that the military shot down a Chinese balloon on behalf of President Joe Biden that crashed into American airspace on Saturday. According to the Pentagon chief, the device was used to monitor strategic facilities.

The US noticed the bubble at the end of last month, Biden was informed but on the advice of the Pentagon chief they did not drop the bubble over US soil. The balloon flew over Canadian territory from the Aleutian Islands and reached the province of Montana. The movements of the balloon are monitored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). In connection with the situation, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken postponed his visit to China. In response, China said it does not accept unfounded speculations and exaggerations due to the state of the device. Beijing said the situation was caused by force majeure, that the device was a weather balloon deviating from its route.