On Tuesday, a U.S. surveillance drone was brought down over the Black Sea after a Russian military intercept leaving the recovery of the drone uncertain. U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley warned that any recovery operation would be difficult due to the deep water in the area. Russia's defense ministry blamed the crash on the drone's "sharp maneuvering," but the United States has taken measures to guard against a loss of sensitive information.

In light of this incident, the high risk cat-and-mouse game between NATO and Russian aircraft in European skies has been exposed. It is the first clash between Moscow and Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. An anonymous French expert believes that though this event is isolated, it is indicative of the end of the Cold War atmosphere.

Moscow has since announced that it will do its best to retrieve the drone and its remains, but