MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria has registered two cases of the international coalition’s MQ-9 drones appearing on the routes of flights by Russian warplanes, the center’s deputy chief, Oleg Gurinov, said on Friday.
"Of particular concern are two cases when MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles of the international anti-terrorist coalition appeared on the routes of Russian aerospace forces’ planes," he said, adding that in both cases, the coalition’s drones were using their fire guidance systems on Russian planes, automatically triggering their onboard defense systems to fire at false heat targets.
"The Russian pilots demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and took timely measures to prevent collisions with the coalition’s drones," he stressed.
According to Gurinov, nine violations of deconfliction protocols by the coalition’s drones were reported during the day, including seven over an area in northern Syria that was closed for flights in connection with Russian-Syrian joint drills.
He stressed that the Russian side bears no responsibility for the safety of flights by the coalition UAVs, especially over the drills area, that were not agreed with it.