A Russian military underwater robot reportedly finds downed U.S. drone in the Black Sea

The American MQ-9 reaper drone, which was shot down over the Black Sea, has been found near Sevastopol, at a depth of 850–900 meters (nearly 3,000 feet). Sevastopol publication ForPost reported the news, citing a source close to Russia’s Defense Ministry who is familiar with the details of the operation.

There has been no official confirmation of this information.

According to ForPost, specialists with the Ministry of Defense discovered the wreckage of the drone on March 14, the day it was shot down, on the Black Sea floor about 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) from Sevastopol. The source says that the drone was found by an underwater robot.

A Russian warship is currently on duty at the site of the crash, and the perimeter of the crash zone is under guard.

ForPost’s source reports that recovery of the wreckage at such a depth will require methods similar to those used to recover sunken submarines.

ABC News reported on March 15 that Russian ships had been seen at the site of the crash, and that they had likely picked up some of the wreckage.