Russia-Ukraine war: US drone incident sign that Putin ready to expand warzone, says Kyiv

The incident of a US drone getting downed by a Russian fighter jet was an indication that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was ready to expand the war zone. This comes as Moscow has denied the accusation that it intercepted the drone over the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov weighed in on Wednesday regarding the incident of a US drone getting downed over the Black Sea by a Russian fighter jet. The US military said on Tuesday that a Russian fighter jet clipped the propeller of a US spy drone and made it crash into the Black Sea. Moscow denied the allegation and said that the drone crashed due to “sharp maneuvers.”

“The incident with the American MQ-9 Reaper UAV provoked by Russia in the Black Sea, is Putin’s signal of readiness to expand the conflict zone with the involvement of other parties,” tweeted Danilov.

Danilov added that Russia has a tactic of going all out with a “constant raising of the stakes” in the hopes of reversing what he described as the “conditions of a strategic defeat” for Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters in Washington that the incident was part of a pattern of Russian military behavior that has become more aggressive. Milley also said that the drone likely broke upon impact in the Black Sea, in 4,000 to 5,000 meters of water, and that it would be hard to recover.

“There is a pattern of behavior recently where there is a little bit more aggressive actions being conducted by the Russians,” said Milley.

Meanwhile, the fighting continues on the ground in the key city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. According to the British defense ministry, the only gains Moscow has been able to make in a tactical sense was in Bakhmut, where the Russian Wagner paramilitary group has led pro-Russian forces on the frontlines despite its ongoing dispute with the Russian defense ministry.

The ministry also said that last week’s attempted offensive in the town of Vuhledar by Russia was part of the Russian defense ministry’s possible goal of matching the gains made by the Wagner forces.