Tensions rise as Russia awards pilots involved in Black Sea drone confrontation.

Russia's Defense Ministry has awarded state honors to the pilots of two fighter jets accused by the US of forcing down an American drone over the Black Sea. The Ministry statement repeated Russian assertions that the US surveillance plane was flying with its transponders off and had crashed into the water of its own accord due to sudden sharp maneuvers. The US says its plane was flying a routine pattern in international airspace over the Black Sea. The incident has sparked fears of direct military hostilities between the nuclear superpowers.