Russia awards pilots involved in confrontation with a U.S. drone over Black Sea

In a screen grab of a video clip released by the U.S. Defense Department's European Command, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet flies near a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, spraying it with what appears to be jet fuel, on Mar. 14 over the Black Sea. (Handout/US Defense Department European C)

MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry has awarded state honors to the pilots of two fighter jets the U.S. has accused of forcing down an American Reaper drone over the Black Sea earlier this week — the latest twist in an incident that has sparked fears of direct military hostilities between the nuclear superpowers.

In a statement, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented state awards to the Su-27 pilots saying they had "prevented" the American drone "intruder" from "violating" airspace restrictions that Russia unilaterally put in place during the conflict in Ukraine.