{"id":42980,"date":"2018-01-11T21:21:35","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T21:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:00:31","slug":"whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MOSCOW \u2014 Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry on Thursday displayed a pair of drones that it said were captured following attacks on two Russian military bases in Syria, saying the attack required know-how indicating it was carried out with outside assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russian President Vladimir Putin accused outside powers he wouldn\u2019t name of staging the attack to derail a deal between Russia, Turkey and Iran that is intended to reduce hostilities in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday\u2019s raid on the Hemeimeem air base in the province of Lattakia and Russia\u2019s naval facility in the port of Tartus involved 13 drones. It said seven were downed by air defense systems and the remaining six were forced to land by Russian electronic warfare units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the latter, three exploded when they hit the ground and three more were captured intact, the ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Ministry presented two primitive-looking drones at a briefing, arguing that they featured state-of-the art electronics that are less prone to jamming and allow precision strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maj. Gen. Alexander Novikov, who heads the ministry\u2019s drone department, said the drones used in the weekend\u2019s raid on the Russian bases differed from the rudimentary craft earlier used by rebels in Syria. The attack required satellite navigation data that aren\u2019t available on the internet, complex engineering works and elaborate tests, Novikov said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe creation of drones of such class is impossible in makeshift conditions,\u201d Novikov said. \u201cTheir development and use requires the involvement of experts with special training in the countries that manufacture and use drones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Novikov didn\u2019t blame any specific country, but the Defense Ministry earlier referred to the \u201cstrange coincidence\u201d of a U.S. military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the attack took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon strongly denied any involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Ministry said the drones were launched from al-Mouazzara in Syria\u2019s northwestern province of Idlib, over 50 kilometers (more than 30 miles) away from the Russian bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attack heightened tensions between Russia and Turkey, which wields significant influence with some rebel groups in Idlib. The province has become the main rallying point for various rebel factions after Syrian government forces won control over large swathes of territory thanks to Russian support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moscow has staunchly backed Syrian President Bashar Assad and Ankara has supported his foes, but they struck a deal last year to set up de-escalation zones. The agreement has helped reduce fighting and warm ties between Russia and Turkey. It also involved Iran, another Assad backer,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the drone attack, the Russian Defense Ministry sent letters to Turkey\u2019s military leaders, asking them to deploy military observers to help prevent further attacks from Idlib on Russian assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP_18011522899049.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP_18011522899049.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP_18011522899049.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP_18011522899049.jpg.jpg?resize=768,402 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP_18011522899049.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,536 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Russian officer walks next to drones that attacked the Russian air base in Syria and were captured by the Russian military are displayed at a briefing in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Saturday&#8217;s, Jan.6, 2018 raid against the Hemeimeem air base and a Russian naval facility in Tartus involved 13 drones, seven of the drones were shot down by air defense systems and the remaining six were forced to land, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. (Pavel Golovkin\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Putin said Moscow knows who helped stage the attack on the Russian bases, but he didn\u2019t identify the country allegedly involved, saying only that it wasn\u2019t Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that he discussed the raid with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier Thursday, voicing confidence that Turkey\u2019s Turkish leadership and military had nothing to do with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere were provocateurs, but they weren\u2019t the Turks,\u201d he said at a televised meeting with Russian newspaper editors Thursday. \u201cWe know who they were and how much they paid for that provocation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Putin said the drones looked primitive but contained high-tech elements allowing precision satellite guidance and release of munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that those behind the attack were aiming to thwart the Russia-Turkey-Iran agreement on de-escalation zones. \u201cThese were provocations aimed at thwarting earlier agreements,\u201d Putin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The drone raid on Russian bases came just weeks after Putin declared a victory in Syria and ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attack occurred a few days after mortar and rocket shelling of the Hemeimeem air base. The incursions have raised doubts about the sustainability of the Assad government\u2019s recent victories and Moscow\u2019s ability to protect its gains in Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the &#8220;strange coincidence&#8221; of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":78067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,16,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1323],"class_list":["post-42980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"M4ZVNBOZZ5FQ5DLQOOOIUE2GRY","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria? - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the &quot;strange coincidence&quot; of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the &quot;strange coincidence&quot; of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-11T21:21:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T03:00:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-01-11T21:21:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:00:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 749,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria? - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-01-11T21:21:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T03:00:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the \\\"strange coincidence\\\" of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2018\\\/01\\\/11\\\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria? - Air Force TImes","description":"The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the \"strange coincidence\" of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?","og_description":"The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the \"strange coincidence\" of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2018-01-11T21:21:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T03:00:31+00:00","author":"Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?","datePublished":"2018-01-11T21:21:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:00:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/"},"wordCount":749,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","News","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/","name":"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria? - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-01-11T21:21:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T03:00:31+00:00","description":"The Russian Defense Ministry had referred to the \"strange coincidence\" of a US military intelligence plane allegedly barraging over the Mediterranean near the Russian bases when the drone attack took place.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/11\/whose-drones-did-the-russian-military-capture-in-syria\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Whose drones did the Russian military capture in Syria?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_18011524074212.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42980"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42981,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42980\/revisions\/42981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42980"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=42980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}