"Russia's Awarding of Pilots for US Drone Crash Raises Tensions"

Russia has awarded state honours to the two fighter pilots who downed a US surveillance drone over the Black Sea. The US has resumed its surveillance flights over the region despite the incident. The Russian Defence Ministry said the drone had flown with its transponders off, violating the boundaries of the area of the temporary airspace usage regime established for the special military operation. The US military released a declassified video clip showing the Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercepting the drone and making close passes while dumping fuel in an apparent bid to damage the drone’s optical and other hi-tech instruments.