The confrontation has raised tensions between Moscow and Washington. (To file)
Moscow:
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday it had decorated pilots involved in an incident this week that led to the crash of a US drone over the Black Sea.
Washington released footage of what it said Thursday showing Russian military jets heading towards the drone, but Moscow maintains the plane was shot down after it lost control.
The confrontation has raised tensions between Moscow and Washington and prompted a rare phone call between senior US and Russian military officials.
“Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu issued state awards to Su-27 pilots who prevented an American MQ-9 drone from violating (Russia’s) temporary airspace,” the official said. ministry.
Moscow said it established airspace restrictions over the Black Sea as part of its military intervention in Ukraine in line with international standards.
On Friday, Moscow reiterated that the pilots “did not use on-board weapons, made no contact with the drone and returned safely to their home airfield.”
Moscow also repeated that the drone crashed “as a result of sudden maneuvers around 09:30 Moscow time (06:30 GMT)”.
The United States uses MQ-9s for surveillance and strikes, and has long operated over the Black Sea, keeping tabs on Russian naval forces.
Washington said after the incident that it would “continue to fly and operate where international law permits.”
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