Washington accused Russian planes of pursuing American drones in Syria

Russian fighter jets were chasing U.S. drones on a mission in Syrian airspace against jihadists, a U.S. commander said Wednesday. “As three US MQ-9 drones were on a mission against ISIS targets, three Russian fighter jets began to be harassed by the drones,” Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grinkevich said in a statement.

Russian fighter jets dropped flares in front of the U.S. drones, forcing them to evade them, and a Russian pilot used an afterburner in front of one of the MQ-9s, “reducing the operator’s ability to fly the aircraft from a safe direction,” the report said. continued the lieutenant general.

“These events represent a new example of the unprofessional and dangerous actions of the Russian Air Force operating in Syria, which threaten the security of both American and Russian forces,” Alex Grinkevich said, calling on Moscow to “put an end to this irresponsible behavior.”

Russian fighter jets already interacted last March with a Reaper MQ-9 in the Black Sea, an American drone was damaged at sea after their maneuvers. The incident sparked new tensions between Washington and Moscow.