MOSCOW. Jan 11 (Interfax) - The Pentagon did not file formal complaints about dangerous approaches between Russian fighter jets and U.S. Air Force planes in Syria, the Russian military said, adding that Russian pilots were highly professional.
"Anyway, we have not heard such claims either from Gen. Corcoran or from representatives of his Pentagon superiors during regular videoconferences with the Russian Defense Ministry regarding the implementation of the memorandum on the prevention of incidents in the Syrian airspace," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
He was commenting on the statement made by Brig. Gen. Charles Corcoran to The Wall Street Journal that Russian fighters dangerously approached U.S. Air Force planes in Syria.
"Aircraft of the U.S. Air Force and the international coalition are acting stealthily in Syria. Our American colleagues are unwilling to share plans of their combat missions; they just sometimes indicate a period of time and an approximate area, but not types of the planes and their affiliation," Konashenkov said.
"Our pilots act in a highly professional manner, and every safety precaution is in place," he said.
According to Konashenkov, "Russian pilots regularly remind U.S. and other coalition pilots that they are not alone or invisible in the Syrian skies."
Stealth operations of U.S. aircraft in Syria "made it possible to avoid responsibility for the death of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in case of tragic mistakes," the ministry spokesman said.
He gave the example of the Kurdish village of Hassajek bombarded in October 2016, causing the deaths of civilians, and the strike by U.S. strategic bombers that killed over 20 civilians in the Idlib province on January 3, 2017.
"Before the cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey took effect on December 30, American colleagues were the loudest in their declarations that there were no terrorists in the Idlib province. It is not accidental that the opposition backed up by the United States, France and the UK and led by representatives of the White Helmets moved there from Aleppo," the general said.
Gen. Charles Corcoran had admitted that the American military were sometimes not available in Qatar, on the other side of the hotline tasked with discussing and resolving disputable issues, Konashenkov said.
"If they had been using the hotline more often and as intended, the commander of the 380th expedition wing of the U.S. Air Force would not have had to imagine non-existent problems in an interview," Konashenkov said.
"It's hard to understand if the remarks were Gen. Corcoran's sincere beliefs or if he, like many others, was merely used by the outgoing U.S. administration for staging a final Russophobic show," Konashenkov said.