Russian and US aircraft continuously encounter each other in the sky of Syria

The incident is the latest in a series of similar incidents that have increased tensions between the two countries.

According to RT , this is the second encounter between the two sides in the Syrian sky in less than a week and the sixth reported incident this month.

Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian military's Reconciliation Center in Syria, said the incident occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time on July 26 in the northwestern Syrian province of Aleppo. He said the US UAV flew very close to two Russian fighter jets.

Mr. Gurinov said Russian planes had to fire flares after the aircraft's radar detected US UAVs locking weapons on Russian military planes.

A Russian fighter jet flies near a US MQ-9 drone over Syria on July 23. Photo: US Air Force

However, the US side reported the incident in a completely different way. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that the Russian plane "flew dangerously close to our drone". The incident occurred when the US UAV was on a mission against members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Ms. Jean-Pierre emphasized that "Russia's close approach and deployment of flares towards a US UAV during a routine mission" is a violation of international rules.

AP news agency quoted two US officials as confirming that the actions of the Russian aircraft on July 26 damaged the US MQ-9 Reaper UAV. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

Not long ago, the Pentagon said a Russian fighter jet flew within meters of its MQ-9 during an encounter on July 23, even severely damaging the drone's propeller with flares.

In response, Mr. Gurinov said that the Reaper UAV flew recklessly. The two sides narrowly avoided a collision thanks to the “high professionalism” of the Russian pilots.

In previous incidents, Russian aircraft have intercepted US aircraft at dangerously close distances, including one instance with a manned aircraft that the US said could have endangered the lives of four US crew members, according to the AP news agency.

RT reported that Moscow and Washington regularly accuse each other of “risky, unprofessional actions” in Syrian airspace. According to Mr. Gurinov, Russian planes strictly implemented existing agreements between the country and the US to prevent incidents.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/thoi-su-quoc-te/may-bay-nga-my-lien-tuc-cham-tran-tren-bau-troi-syria-2023072716365009.htm