Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shocked the world.

The unprovoked war on the doorstep of Europe prompted NATO to deploy many of its military resources forward to reinforce its eastern flank to deter further Russian aggression.

NATO air power, which for the past year has been patrolling the borders between the West and Russia, can also provide “eyes and ears” over the whole of Ukraine, much to the frustration of the Kremlin.

So did the Russians deliberately down a US MQ-9 drone to deter NATO air power?

Russian military aircraft are routinely intercepted by NATO air defence fighters, but these engagements are usually conducted in a professional and respectful manner.

On 14 March a pair of Russian Su-27 Flanker multi-role fighter jets intercepted a $32m US MQ-9 unmanned air vehicle flying legally in international airspace over the Black Sea.

The US claimed that a Russian jet impacted their drone and downed it. The Russians – of course – denied any such actions.

But, two days later, video footage of the incident clearly showed the Russian Flankers making repeated efforts to distract the drone before one appears to impact the propeller in a highly reckless manoeuvre.

So did the Russian pilot intentionally hit the drone?

In my career as a fighter pilot I was paranoid about hitting another aircraft – I had a few close calls, but military aircraft are expensive, in…