Russia has revealed the identities of two Su-27 pilots it says were involved in the downing of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone flying near Crimea.
The pair Sergey Popov and Vasily Vavilov, both air force majors, were handed state awards by Vladimir Putin ’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
The unarmed US MQ-9 Reaper had its tail propeller struck by the Russian warplane, which had earlier discharged fuel on the unmanned flyer.