Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the pilots of the Su-27 with state awards, which prevented the violation of the borders of the military special operation zone by the American MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The ministry noted that the zone boundaries have been communicated to all users of international airspace and also published in accordance with international standards.
On March 14, the airspace control facilities of the Aerospace Forces recorded the flight of the MQ-9 Reaper towards the Russian border. Russian fighters were lifted into the air, but due to a sudden maneuver the drone took an uncontrolled flight, lost altitude and fell into the water. Sergei Shoigu, in a conversation with his American colleague Lloyd Austin, said that the causes of the incident lie in America’s non-compliance with the flight restriction zone declared by the Russian Federation.
