FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/RUSSIA/SYRIA: “The Pentagon has accused Russia of intentionally violating an agreement intended to prevent accidents in the skies over Syria, following a recent unsafe encounter between US F-22s and Russian Su-25 jets…
The US military said last week that two US F-22 stealth fighters intercepted two Russian Su-25 attack jets after the Russian aircraft crossed the Euphrates River in Syria, flying east of the ‘de-confliction line’ that is supposed to separate Russian and US-led coalition aircraft operating over Syria…
The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement last week denying its planes crossed the de-confliction line, saying the incident took place west of the Euphrates River…
The agreement says that Russian and Syrian regime forces are to operate west of the Euphrates River while the US and its coalition allies are to operate to the east. If either side wishes to operate on the other side of the river, they are supposed to communicate via a hotline that allows Russian and coalition military officers to talk to each other…
But a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting ISIS told reporters Tuesday that Russian jets were flying fewer missions alongside the Euphrates River, reducing the number of potential interactions between Russian and US/coalition aircraft.”
-Ryan Browne, “US says Russia intentionally violating Syria military agreement,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Dec. 21, 2017 11:56am