Footage of a Russian fighter Sukhoi Su-27 to attack the American drone MQ-9 “Reaper” over the Black Sea, the US Defense Department said on Wednesday, denying Moscow’s insistence that it did not destroy it in Tuesday’s episode.

In the footage, the Russian fighter jet can be seen first dropping fuel on the MQ-9 drone and then hitting it. The video cuts out momentarily. A few seconds later the image returns, and you can see that the propeller has broken.

A deliberate attack on a Russian aircraft in neutral airspace would be an open declaration of war against the largest nuclear power, and could lead to nuclear holocaust, the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, warned in the meantime.

“The Russian Ministry of Defense explained in detail the reasons and the course of actions of the Russian pilots during the incident in the Black Sea. I repeat, for those who are not focused, look at the situation objectively: our fighters did not come into contact with the American UAV,” he said about the loss of the American MQ-9 drone.

“Russia did everything possible to prevent such incidents – it promptly informed the international community about the limits of the temporary airspace regime created for the ‘special military operation,'” he noted.

“Of course, it’s a shame for the Pentagon to lose an expensive piece of equipment. But in this case, the US military should to return to himself the accusations of unprofessional actions,” Antonov noted ironically.