US Security Council spokesman John Kirby called "ridiculous" the decision of the Russian Ministry of Defense, which awarded state awards to the pilots of the Su-27 fighter jet who escorted the American MQ-9 Reaper drone until it crashed in the Black Sea.
A spokesman for the National Security Council said the US did not know whether the pilot shot down the MQ-9 drone on purpose, "but he did." "I don't understand why they gave an award for bravery to a pilot who, at worst, maliciously put himself and American property in danger and, at best, is just plain stupid," Kirby added.
