Changing US drone routes over Black Sea limits intelligence related to Russia's war in Ukraine

This was reported by CNN with reference to a senior US military official.

“Definitely limits our ability to gather intelligence,” the agency quotes an anonymous source as saying of the US decision to re-route its surveillance drones further south over the Black Sea after a Russian aircraft collided with a US drone.

The official explained that flying reconnaissance UAVs over longer distances reduces the quality of the data obtained, just as spy satellites can compensate for drones to some extent, but have shorter time over targets, again reducing the effectiveness of surveillance.

The US has reportedly begun flying its surveillance drones further south and at higher altitudes over the Black Sea than before.

•  On March 14, in international airspace over the Black Sea, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The drone was shot down as a result of the incident. After the incident, the United States began negotiations with Russia at the "highest level" and summoned the Russian ambassador to Washington.

• Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said after the incident with the US drone that Moscow does not want a confrontation with the United States, but "American aircraft have no business being near the Russian border."

• On March 15, the White House said that the drone incident would not prevent the United States from flying over the Black Sea.

• The Kremlin was aware of the attack on the American military drone, as the aggressive actions of Russian fighters had been approved in advance by the leadership.

• The Kremlin was aware of the attack on the American military drone, as the aggressive actions of Russian fighters had been approved in advance by the leadership.

• On March 16, the U.S. Department of Defense released a video of a Russian Su-27 colliding with an American MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday.

• Subsequently, White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said that the Russian pilot's pursuit of the American drone was a deliberate and aggressive act.

• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the Su-27 pilots who shot down a US drone over the Black Sea on March 14 with state awards