This information was disseminated by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The report says that Russia saved many lives by intercepting an American BBC US MQ-09 drone flying on March 14 over the Black Sea. It is not true.

The case was noticed by StopFake project fact-checkers, who found out that this type of drone could indeed carry missiles, but the MQ-9, which was on a mission in the Black Sea, was unarmed and did not pose any threat to Russian aircraft.

Fact-checkers also drew attention to a message stating that a US drone violated the borders of Russian airspace.

This message was spread by the Russian Ministry of Defense. They say that the U.S.-owned drone was found as part of a temporary established connection with the so-called “special airspace operation”. It is not true.

In fact, a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper was flying in airspace over the Black Sea, which is not Russia's “inland sea”. In fact, the Black Sea is operated not only by Russia, but also by Ukraine, as well as by NATO member countries, and that is why the US drone, a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, has every right to be in international airspace over the Black Sea.

Fact-checkers drew attention to another fake, which says that Russian fighters did not come into contact with the MQ-9. Like, the drone went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and fell into the water due to sharp maneuvering. It is not true.

Russia did not indeed fire at the drone, but the fighters did make physical contact with the American UAV.

The US European Command said that the cause of the drone crash over the Black Sea was the “dangerous, unprofessional and reckless” actions of Russian pilots. To confirm their version, the US European Command posted a video from a submerged drone. The image shows a Russian SU-27 dropping fuel onto the drone before crashing into an MQ-9, damaging the propeller.