All Russian drones in Syria either at airbase or on mission - Russian General Staff
MOSCOW. Oct 16 (Interfax) - The head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov, has dismissed media reports that Turkish military had shot down a Russian drone in their territory, and suggested that the military attaches accredited in Moscow think for themselves whose drone it might have been.
"I hereby declare absolutely responsibly that all our drones are either in mission areas or at the airbase," he said at a briefing for foreign military attaches and journalists on Friday.
He said he had specifically verified this information before the briefing.
"Whose this downed drone is, you either guess or find out yourselves," the general said.
The Turkish Air Force on Friday shot down an unidentified drone in the country's airspace close to the border with Syria, the Turkish general staff said.
"Today an aerial vehicle of unknown nationality was discovered in our airspace close to the Syrian border, and when it continued moving, despite our three warnings, our aircraft which were on patrol near the border, shot and downed the vehicle within the current rules," the Turkish general staff said on its website.
Local media reported that the drone had flown three kilometers deep into the country's airspace before being shot down by fighter jets.
For its part, the BBC said that drones are also used in this area by troops of the U.S.-led coalition, Syria and Russia.