The U.S. military has violated agreements and tried to block a Russian military police patrol in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday after a telephone conversation between the Chiefs of General Staff of Russia and the United States, Valery Gerasimov and Mark Milley.
The agency noted that Gerasimov drew the U.S. attention to the fact that the command of the international anti-terrorist coalition in accordance with the current procedure was notified in advance of the passage of the convoy of the Russian military police.
“Despite that, the U.S. military made an attempt to block the Russian patrol, in violation of existing agreements. In response, the military police of the Russian Armed Forces took the necessary measures to prevent the incident and continue to carry out its task,” the Defense Ministry said.
“The U.S. side was given comprehensive explanations of the situation during the telephone conversation,” the Russian military said.
Earlier Wednesday, CNN reported that several U.S. military personnel were injured in the Syrian province of Hasaka because a Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) crashed into their vehicle. CNN sources believe the Russian military deliberately clashed with the vehicle. At the same time, neither side used weapons.
In addition, according to the U.S., a Russian military helicopter flew at the site of the incident at a low altitude. “This is a tactic often used by the military when they want people to leave the area,” CNN said.
The Arab portal Al-Masdar has published several low-quality videos from the scene. They show how the Russian APC is supposed to approach the American armored vehicle. The video also shows other military vehicles that apparently did not take part in the incident.
