Russian aircraft evaded collision with illegal US drones in Syria
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The US has violated a memorandum that ensures the safety of aircraft over Syrian territory.
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A Russian An-26 aircraft.
The Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria reported that an AN-26 aircraft belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces narrowly evaded a collision with US drones in the Syrian sky on October 3. The United States has an illegal presence on Syrian territory.
"The so-called 'international anti-terrorist coalition' led by the United States continues to carry out illegal flights of unmanned aerial vehicles in strike equipment in the airspace of the Syrian Arab Republic. On October 3 at 7:25 Moscow time, the An-26 aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which was flying in the interests of supplying units of the Russian group, was forced to evade a collision with a US unmanned aerial vehicles MQ-9 and MQ-1, following the route of his movement in northern Syria," said Major General Oleg Egorov, the deputy head of the center in a briefing.
Egorov, furthermore, noted that this wouldn't be the first time the US military violates provisions of the memorandum of understanding that'd prevent such accidents while ensuring aviation safety during operations. The memorandum dates back to October 20, 2015.
"More aggressive"?
Over two weeks ago, US Air Forces Central Command's head, Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, said Russia grew to be "more aggressive" in terms of its behavior in Syria since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
"The Russian presence in Syria has become, I would argue, more aggressive since the Ukrainian invasion," Grynkewich said.
One might be able to explain the new Russian stance in Syria by studying Moscow's "military failures in Ukraine coupled with Russian generals seeking to regain a better standing within the Russian armed forces," Grynkewich told the Air and Space Forces Association conference.
The US forces in Syria note an increased pressure in air and on the ground from Russian forces and the Pentagon finds it "a bit concerning," the military official revealed.
