Xinhua file photo of Russian Su-35 aircraft
After the U.S. aircraft changed its course and flew away, the Russian jet returned to the base.
MOSCOW, April 20 (Xinhua) -- A Russian fighter jet drove a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft away from Russian military facilities in Syria on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday.
Russian radars detected a flying object over the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea, which was heading toward Russian military facilities, the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said.
A Russian fighter jet took off from the Hmeimim airbase and identified the target as a U.S. spy plane and started to follow it, the ministry said.
After the U.S. aircraft changed its course and flew away, the Russian jet returned to the base.
On Sunday, the U.S. Navy issued a statement complaining that a Russian Su-35 fighter had intercepted a U.S. P-8A surveillance plane over the Mediterranean Sea in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner, though the Russian Defense Ministry said its Aerospace Forces always carry out flights in compliance with international rules. ■
