Moscow summons UK defence attaché Russian President Vladimir Putin

MOSCOW. — Russia’s defence ministry has summoned the British defence attaché over reports in Sunday newspapers claiming that RAF pilots were given licence to shoot down Russian jets in Iraq if threatened. The reports in the Daily Star on Sunday and the Sunday Times were described by the UK Foreign Office as inaccurate. The report said RAF Tornado fighters launching air-strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq were using missiles designed for aerial combat. The British embassy in Moscow confirmed that the defence attaché had been asked to clarify the UK’s position and had visited the Russian ministry of defence in Moscow on Sunday.

According to a British government source, Russia accepted the explanation.

A Foreign Office spokesperson in London said the defence attache had expressed concern over Russia’s Syria policy during the meeting: “The Russian government sought clarification over inaccurate newspaper reports concerning RAF rules of engagement in Iraq. The defence attache reiterated the British government’s concerns about Russia’s military operation in Syria, including targeting legitimate opposition groups, using unguided weaponry and leading to large numbers of civilian deaths.”

In London, the Russian ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko, said Moscow had urgently requested an explanation from the Foreign Office.

He said: “The very premise of a potential conflict of UK and Russian combat aircraft over Iraq is incomprehensible. It is known that Russian air force does not take part in strikes against Isis targets in the said country. At the same time, RAF does not participate in the anti-Isis coalition strikes in Syria. The question arises, what is the goal of such a provocative media leak? Whose morale are they meant to raise?”

The Daily Star Sunday, which claimed the story as an exclusive, said British pilots had been told to take drastic action if fired upon by Russians during missions over Iraq and that it was just a matter of time before there was a deadly confrontation with Russian planes. — The Guardian.

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