Pentagon chief Austin told Shoigu that the United States will continue to fly over international waters.

WASHINGTON, March 15 – RIA Novosti. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that in light of the drone incident in the Black Sea, the United States will continue to fly over international waters.

The Russian Ministry of Defense previously reported that on Tuesday morning, an American MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle, whose transponders were turned off, violated the borders of the transitional regime zone to use the airspace over the Black Sea. The UAV was advancing towards the Russian border, Russian fighters were lifted into the air to detect the intruder. The drone, which went into uncontrolled flight due to the sudden maneuver, lost altitude and fell into the water. The Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized that the Russian fighters did not come into contact with the MQ-9, did not use airborne weapons and returned safely to their own airfields.