The downing of the American drone in the Black Sea, Great Britain reacts, here is the warning it gives to Russia

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said Moscow must respect international airspace, following the US accusation that the Russian Air Force shot down an American drone in the Black Sea.

According to US Army European Command, the incident was the result of an "unsafe and unprofessional interception" by a Russian aircraft.

In Moscow, the Ministry of Defense rejected the American version of events. He said the UAV crashed in the Black Sea, near the Crimean peninsula, due to a dangerous maneuver and that it was never hit by a Russian aircraft.

He clarified that Russian warplanes were sent to identify an unknown object that threatened to violate Russian airspace.

The Russian jets did not use their weapons and did not make contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle, returning safely to their base, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

MQ-9 aircraft are primarily used for reconnaissance, but can also carry weapons and countermeasures. They have sensors capable of covering large areas.

The Pentagon has not specified, at least so far, what the UAV's mission was or whether it was armed.