KYIV, Ukraine— The Pentagon released footage showing a Russian fighter jet dousing a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone with fuel, which caused the drone to crash in the Black Sea and raised tensions between Moscow and Washington regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

Additionally, Poland has granted Ukraine 12 MiG-29 fighter jets, making it the first NATO member to grant Kyiv's urgent requests for aircraft.

In the video, a Russian Su-27 can be seen flying toward the MQ-9 Reaper drone's back and releasing fuel as it passes. It appears that this is done in an effort to disable the drone's optical equipment so that it will flee the area.

The Pentagon's video excerpt does not show what happened prior to or following the apparent fuel-dumping altercation, nor does it show the Russian warplane striking the drone.

Russia asserted that its fighters did not strike the drone and that it crashed after performing a sharp manoeuvre. When questioned on Thursday about whether Russia would attempt to recover the drone debris, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the military would make that decision. The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, promised to make an effort.

The downed $32 million aircraft crashed into waters that were 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500 meters) deep, and U.S. officials expressed confidence that nothing of military significance would be left behind.

The drone incident marked the first time since the Cold War that a U.S. aircraft went down during such a confrontation, raising concerns it could bring the United States and Russia closer to a direct conflict. Russia and NATO member countries routinely intercept each other's warplanes.

The destruction of a drone was discussed by senior military and defence officials from the United States and Russia on Wednesday, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

The calls between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as well as between Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of Russian General Staff, were the first since October.

Shoigu claimed that Austin was to blame for the incident by disobeying flight restrictions put in place by the Kremlin as a result of its military operations in Ukraine. The US and its allies, according to the Kremlin, have essentially entered the 13-month-old war by arming Ukraine and communicating intelligence data with Kyiv.

The release of the video is the most recent instance of the Biden administration making intelligence findings public throughout the war to draw attention to Russian malfeasance and plans for Russian disinformation operations. The Pentagon and President Joe Biden's national security advisors agreed that it was crucial to let the world know what happened, so the White House deferred to Austin on the decision to release it. The administration was unconcerned that it would increase Russian tensions.

Four Soviet-built MiG-29 aircraft will be delivered to Ukraine by Warsaw "within the next few days," according to Polish President Andrzej Duda. The remaining aircraft required maintenance and would be delivered later.

Despite Slovakia's declaration that it would send Ukraine its unused MiGs, he made no mention of whether other nations would follow suit. Piotr Mueller, a spokesman for the Polish government, claimed that some other nations that possess MiGs have also pledged them to Kyiv, though he did not name them.

Ukraine had several dozen MiGs left over from the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, but it is unknown how many of them are still in use after more than a year of fighting. NATO allies have shown hesitation.

Poland was the first NATO country to give Ukraine German-made Leopard 2 tanks in addition to replacing the aircraft it currently provides to Ukraine with South Korean FA-50 fighters and American F-35s.

It also hosts thousands of American troops, is hosting the most refugees from the war in the neighbouring country than any other country, and has long been the target of Russian invasions and occupations.

Members of a Russian spy ring have been detained by Polish security services, who claim they were planning acts of sabotage in Poland and watching railroad routes used to bring weapons into Ukraine.