Russian forces in Syria will start tracking Coalition aircraft west of Euphrates ‘as targets,’ following jet incident
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it is terminating its cooperation with the United States to prevent incidents in Syrian airspace, following news that the U.S.-led international coalition downed a Syrian military aircraft on June 19.
Moscow now says that any coalition aircraft flying west of the Euphrates “will be tracked by Russian ground and air defense forces as airborne targets.”
Russia is also demanding a “thorough investigation” into the incident by U.S. officials, calling the attack on the jet a “cynical violation” of Syria’s sovereignty.
Moscow says the United States never informed the Russian Air Force ahead of its attack on the Syrian plane, despite claims by Washington to the contrary. According to American officials, coalition forces shot down a Syrian Su-22 jet on Monday, after it bombed coalition ally forces in Rakka. The fate of the pilot remains unknown.
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