‘UNPRECEDENTED’

Top Kremlin Officials Approved ‘Aggressive’ Takedown of U.S. Drone: Report

Two officials told NBC News that Russian fighter jets apparently tried to throw the U.S. drone off course, or tamper with its surveillance mechanism.

Senior officials in the Kremlin approved the tactics of Russian fighter jets in taking down a U.S. military drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday, three U.S. officials familiar with the matter told NBC News. One person said it appeared to be “Russian leadership’s intention to be aggressive in the intercept.” Two sources speculated that the jets’ aim may have been to throw the drone off course or tamper with its surveillance mechanism. The jets also took the “unprecedented” step of dropping jet fuel on the unpiloted MQ-9 Reaper, the outlet reported. It was not immediately clear who had signed off on the action, nor whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was involved in the chain of command. U.S. intelligence did not suggest the Russians had been able to retrieve any of the drone’s remnants as of Wednesday evening, with one official telling NBC that most of it had sunk into the ocean. The Americans are unlikely to be able to retrieve the debris for the same reason, three officials said.