The Russian government has rewarded pilots involved in the harassment and crash of a US drone in international airspace.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented state awards to fighter pilots responsible for downing a US drone over the Black Sea earlier this week.
US VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT RUSSIAN FIGHTER JET COLLAPSES WITH US DRONE
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden during an event marking the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow. (PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
In an official statement, the defense ministry praised the pilots for preventing the drone from “violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation”.
The statement accuses the US drone of flying with its transponders turned off.
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On Thursday, US European Command released video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14. A screenshot shows a jet discharging fuel. (US European Command)
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed its earlier claims that the plane never touched the drone, despite US video showing a jet cutting its propeller, forcing the drone to crash into the Black Sea.
“The Russian aircraft used no onboard weapons, did not make contact with the unmanned aircraft and returned safely to its home airport,” the ministry said.
RUSSIAN SHIPS TO US BLACK SEA DRONE INCIDENT, US OFFICIAL SAYS: ‘They Wasted No Time’
The video shows a damaged propeller on a US MQ-9 drone that was hit by a Russian Su-17 fighter over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023. (US European Command)
US Central Command has seen more “unprofessional” and “unsafe” behavior from Russian pilots in Syria since March 1, a commander said on Thursday.
General Michael Kurilla explained the continued harassment of US forces in the region at a meeting on Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad at the Moscow Kremlin March 15, 2023. (VLADIMIR GERDO/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
The general explained that Russian aircraft were encouraged to act aggressive towards US bases in a way not typical of an organized military force.
