"During 2023, the coalition’s aircraft made 23 dangerous close encounters with the aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces, during 11 of which the crews recorded the exposure of Russian aircraft to weapons guidance systems, which led to the automatic operation of on-board defense systems and the shooting of false thermal targets," Gurinov told a briefing.
Two such cases occurred in April, one in May, four in June and five in July, Gurinov said, noting that this indicates a steady increase in the number of dangerous encounters by the US-led coalition in Syria.
He also said that the coalition’s failure to follow deconfliction rules and violation of the Syrian border threatens the fragile balance of power in the region.
"The non-compliance of the US-led coalition with the deconfliction rules and the violation of the Syrian state border threatens the fragile balance of power in the region, achieved thanks to Russia’s efforts, has a destructive effect on the development of the situation, and also aggravates the situation in Syria’s airspace," Gurinov added.