MOSCOW. Sept 18 (Interfax) - An MQ-9 drone of the U.S.-led international coalition has dangerously approached a Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the Syrian airspace, deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit said on Sunday.
"An MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle of the coalition dangerously approached a Su-35 jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces on a scheduled flight along the northern border of Syria at an approximate altitude of 6,700 meters at 11:05 a.m. on September 16. The Russian pilot acted in a highly professional manner and timely took measures to avoid a collision," Kulit said.
He also reported violations of the deconfliction protocols in the Syrian airspace by the coalition.
"Fourteen violations of the deconfliction protocols dated December 9, 2019, by the coalition in the form of flights of unmanned aerial vehicles uncoordinated with the Russian side were observed in the past 24 hours," Kulit said.
"Five violations by a pair of F-35 fighter jets, a pair of F-16 fighter jets and an MQ-1C multirole unmanned aerial vehicle of the coalition were recorded in the Al-Tanf area in the past 24 hours," he said.
Five Syrian servicemen were injured in attacks by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization (banned in Russia) on government forces' positions in the Idlib province, Kulit said.