Russia Warns U.S. Pilots Are Violating Safety Protocols Over Syria
On May 31, the Russian military accused United States pilots of “gross violations” of protocols designed to avoid clashes over Syria.
Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, head of the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, said that U.S. pilots were activating their weapons systems when approaching Russian planes over the east of the war-torn country.
The Russian military is present in Syria under an official request from the legitimate government to combat ISIS and other terrorist groups.
Meanwhile, the U.S. maintains some 900 troops in the country without any permission from Damascus under the pretext of fighting ISIS. The troops are deployed at key gas and oil fields in the eastern and northern regions as well as in a garrison that blocks a strategic highway in the southeastern region.
In March, the Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria protested about “provocative actions” by U.S. forces, including the harassment of Russian planes performing scheduled flights over the country’s eastern regions.
The new Russian accusations came just a day after Sergey Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, revealed that the U.S. is seeking to obstruct the normalization of Syria’s relations with the Arab world and is training ISIS terrorists at one of its bases in the country to destabilize the situation.
Tensions between Russian and U.S. forces in Syria have been on the rise since Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine last year.
Recently leaked U.S. intelligence documents revealed a plot by the Ukrainian secret service to launch drone attacks against Russian forces in Syria in cooperation with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Washington’s top ally in the country.
The recent provocations by the U.S. could force Russia to further expand its military presence in Syria. During a visit to Moscow in March, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that he would welcome any Russian proposals to set up new bases in his country.
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