Responsible Statecraft: Moscow and Washington shadowboxing in the skies over Syria
Tensions related to the war in Ukraine are resulting in actual physical altercations on another battlefront thousands of miles away.
U.S.-Russian tensions continued to rise this week as two U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones were damaged by flares released from Russian jets over Syria.
The first incident on Sunday damaged the drone’s propeller but did not cause it to crash, but it echoed a similar episode over the Black Sea in March when the drone crashed after a collision with a Russian jet. Another incident occurred Wednesday over northwest Syria and resulted in damage to one of the drone’s wings.
That makes for a reported total of six incidents involving Russian and American aircraft in July. The confrontations were a reminder of the potential dangers of U.S. and Russian forces operating in close proximity to each other in Syria, and they raise the question of why U.S. forces are still operating in a country where they have no legal mandate.
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Russia And U.S. Tensions Escalating In The Skies Over Syria
Russia, U.S. Inch Toward Direct Conflict in Middle East -- Newsweek
Russian fighter jets stirring up trouble, US combat drones pay price -- Business Insider
Russia says US-led coalition violated Syrian airspace 8 times in 1 day -- Anadolu Agency
Russia Blames US MQ-9 Reaper Drone For Locking Missiles, Almost Crashing Into Su-34, Su-35 Fighters Over Syria -- EurAsian Times
Russian Fighter Damages a Second MQ-9 Over Syria. So What Should the US Do Now? -- Air & Space Forces Magazine