US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called “meaningless” the decision of the Russian Defense Ministry, which presented state awards to the pilots of Su-27 fighters who accompanied the American MQ-9 Reaper drone before its crash in the Black Sea.
I don’t know a single army, not a single air force in the world that would reward a pilot for a collision with a drone. If it’s courage, then I think they have a different definition for it. It’s pointless and embarrassing,” Kirby said during a press briefing.
A spokesman for the National Security Council said the US does not know if the pilot deliberately rammed the MQ-9 drone, “but he did.”
I don’t understand why they gave a bravery award to an airman who, at worst, maliciously put himself and American property at great risk, and at best, just an idiot, Kirby added.
On March 22, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigov awarded the Order of Courage to the pilots of Su-27 aircraft, which, according to the Russian Federation, prevented the MQ-9 drone from violating the borders of the area of the temporary regime for the use of airspace established after the start of the war.
According to the US version, the MQ-9 drone crashed after colliding with a Russian Su-27 in neutral waters over the Black Sea on March 14. According to the US video, the drone went down when a Russian fighter jet dropped fuel in front of it. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation claimed that the drone went into uncontrolled flight and crashed “as a result of sharp maneuvering.”
Source: Racurs
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