STORY: The Pentagon said that one of the Russian Su-27 jets struck the propeller of the drone, making it inoperable, while Russia's defense ministry blamed "sharp maneuvering" of the unmanned drone for the crash and said that its jets did not come into contact with it.

"Because of the damage, we were in a position to have to essentially crash into the Black Sea," Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters, adding that the drone was basically unflyable after the damage.

"It's clear that it was unsafe, unprofessional and I think the actions speak for themselves," Ryder said, noting that Russia had not recovered the crashed drone at this point.