US drones in Syria's airspace, Russia reveals 14 US violations
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The Deputy Head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria reveals that the so-called international anti-terrorist coalition led by the US continues to commit violations of the deconfliction situation protocols and the bilateral memorandum on flight safety in Syria.
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A view of Baghouz town, in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour. An investigation into a 2019 strike by US forces in Syria that killed numerous civilians found no violations of policy or wanton negligence. (AP)
Joint Russian-Syrian air force and air defense exercises began in Syria on July 5 and will last six days, the Deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, Oleg Gorinov, was quoted as telling Russian news agencies on Tuesday.
“In the course of training it is planned to work out the issues of joint actions of aviation, air defense, and electronic warfare forces in the repulsion of air strikes,” Gurinov said.
In addition to pilots, electronic warfare units participate in the exercises, to practice responding to supposed air attacks. It is noteworthy that the joint exercises in Syria will continue until mid-July.
Russia's RIA Novosti agency revealed last Tuesday that Moscow and Damascus will conduct joint military exercises in Syria on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Gurinov said that drones of the so-called US-led international counterterrorism coalition in Syria violated flight safety rules 315 times during the month of June.
"There are continued gross violations of the deconflicting protocols and the bilateral Memorandum on Flight Safety in Syria by the US-led so-called international coalition. The violations are deliberate and systematic, and their number has increased significantly compared with last year. In June 2023, there were 315 cases of violations related to flights of drones and ‘coalition’ aviation," TASS quoted Gurinov as saying on July 2.
Gorinov also reported that the memorandum of understanding between the Russian Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, dated October 20, 2015, and related to unmanned aircraft flight in Syrian airspace, was violated 14 times by the US during the joint exercises.
He highlighted that there was no coordination between him and the so-called "international anti-terrorism coalition" led by the United States, and that the Russian side is not responsible for the safety of the uncoordinated flights of the drones.
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Gorinov's statement came after a statement by the US Air Force reported that Russian planes had engaged in "unsafe and unprofessional behavior" while participating in a mission against ISIS in Syrian airspace.
The statement added, "Contrary to the standards and protocols in force, the Russian planes fired flare shots in front of the drones, forcing the US drones to perform evasive maneuvers."
