White Home’s Kirby blasts Russia for awarding pilots behind US drone crash: ‘at finest, simply an fool’

The Biden administration blasted Russia for honoring two pilots for downing a U.S. drone in worldwide airspace whereas saying the aviator who crashed into the drone was “at finest, simply an fool.”

Final week, the Kremlin issued state awards to the fighter jet pilots accountable for downing the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea earlier the week prior. In an official assertion, the Ministry of Protection counseled the pilots for stopping the drone from “violating the boundaries of the momentary airspace regime established for the particular navy operation.” 

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Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby spoke with reporters Wednesday concerning the matter whereas making enjoyable of the Russian authorities for portraying the pilots as heroes. 

“I do not know of one other navy on the earth, one other air pressure on the earth that might award a pilot for smashing right into a drone,” he mentioned throughout a White Home press briefing. “If that is bravery, I suppose they’ve a distinct definition of it.”

Russia mentioned the drone was flying with its transponders off. Kirby mentioned U.S. officers do not know if the pilot deliberately crashed into the plane “however he did.”

“Both method, within the Navy I grew up in, you do not need to hit something. Hitting something is dangerous for you,” he mentioned. “I’ve no clue why they’d give a bravery award to a pilot who was at worst maliciously placing himself and U.S. property at nice danger and at finest, simply an fool.”

Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command, mentioned final week that officers have seen extra “unprofessional” and “unsafe” conduct from Russian pilots in Syria since March 1. He mentioned Russian plane have change into emboldened to behave aggressively towards U.S. bases in a method not typical of an organized navy pressure.

Fox Information’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.

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