U.S. Drones Intercepted for Airspace Violation during Syria-Russia Exercise: Kremlin

Russia has accused the U.S. of flying its Reaper drones over Syrian skies while the airspace was closed due to five-day Russian-Syrian aviation exercises that started July 5.

"Systematic violations of deconfliction protocols related to the flights of unmanned aerial vehicles of the so-called International Anti-Terrorist Coalition continue," Oleg Gurinov, deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria, said on Thursday.

Nine violations were recorded, he claimed. “Everything is in an area closed to air flights in connection with a joint Russian-Syrian exercise in northern Syria.”

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He said Russian air defense systems onboard its fighters were triggered by the American drones. "Of particular concern are the facts recorded by the pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces during the exercise of the exercise of the effects of the electronic guidance systems of American UAVs, which lead to the automatic operation of the onboard defense systems of Russian aircraft,” he said.