Russia blames US for military vehicles’ collision in Syria

The Russian military blames US troops for a collision of Russian and US military vehicles in Syria’s northeast.

US officials said yesterday that a Russian vehicle sideswiped a light-armored US military vehicle, injuring four Americans, while two Russian helicopters flew overhead, one as close as 20 meters (70 feet) from the US vehicle.

US National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot blamed the Russian military for “unsafe and unprofessional actions” that breached deconfliction protocols between the two countries.

In today’s statement, the Russian Defense Ministry says the Russian military had notified the US-led coalition about the route of a Russian military police convoy.

“Despite that, in violation of the existing agreements, the US troops attempted to block the Russian patrol,” the ministry said in a statement. “In response to that, the Russian military police took the necessary measures to prevent an incident and to continue the fulfillment of their task.”

— AP