Russian jets force down U.S. drone over Black Sea
wapoSEP 2022
Day 385: Russian Ambassador to US Summoned Over Black Sea Drone Crash
Image copyright: US Air Force [via Popular Science]
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The US drone was conducting routine operations in international waters. The actions of Russian pilots were unsafe, unprofessional and a brazen violation of international law. This incident could have led to a dangerous escalation between two nuclear-armed superpowers.
Pro-Russia narrative
The US drone strayed into a restricted zone with its transponders turned off. It did this to gather intelligence which would be used in Ukrainian attacks on Russia and its armed forces. This was a hostile act and Russia responded to the threat appropriately.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 3% chance that Russia will be removed from the UN Security Council by 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
