Russia gives state awards to pilots behind US drone crash
Russian government has rewarded pilots involved in harassing and crashing US drones in international airspace.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu awarded state awards to the pilots responsible for the warplanes. American drone shot down over the Black Sea earlier this week.
A US video shows the moment a Russian fighter jet collides with an American drone
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden on Defense Day in Moscow. (Pavel Bednyakov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
In an official statement, the Ministry of Defense praised the pilots for preventing the drone from “violating the limits of temporary airspace established for special military operations”.
The statement alleged that the US drone was flying with its transponders on.
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The U.S. European Command on Thursday released video of a Russian Su-27 fighter jet colliding with a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14. The screenshot shows a jet dumping fuel. (US European Command)
The Russian Defense Ministry has stood by its earlier claims that the aircraft never touched the drone, although US video shows one of the jets clipping its propeller, forcing the drone to crash into the Black Sea. .
“The Russian plane did not use its onboard weapons, did not make contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle, and returned safely to its home airport,” the ministry said.
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The video shows a damaged propeller of a US MQ-9 drone that was shot down by a Russian Su-17 fighter jet over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023. (US European Command)
More “unprofessional” and “unsafe” behavior has been observed by the US Central Command. Russian pilots in Syria Since March 1, a commander said Thursday.
General Michael Karella explained the ongoing harassment of US forces in the region at a meeting. Senate Committee on Armed Services.
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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attend Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in the Kremlin on March 15, 2023 in Moscow. (VLADIMIR GERDO/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
The general explained that the Russian planes had boosted the morale to take action. Offensively toward American bases Not at all like an organized military force.