Russia: Any airborne object in our zone in Syria is now our target

The Su-35 fighter performing on Air Force Day in Lipetsk - Photo: Artem Zhitenev/Sputnik

Moscow is terminating its communication channel with the United States under a memorandum for preventing incidents in Syria's skies, as a consequence for the US downing a Syrian Su-22 plane, Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"As of June 19 this year, the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation has ended its interaction with the US side under a memorandum for preventing incidents and providing for safe flights during operations in Syria and demands that the US command carry out a careful investigation and report about its results and the measures taken," the statement reads.

"The shooting down of a Syrian Air Force jet in Syria's airspace is a cynical violation of Syria's sovereignty. The US' repeated combat operations under the guise of 'combating terrorism' against...