Aljazeera is reporting that the Russian pilots involved in the downing of a U.S. Reaper surveillance drone have been given awards and suggests that means it's open season on the aircraft operating near Ukraine. “The drone flew with its transponders off, violating the boundaries of the area of the temporary airspace usage regime established for the special military operation [and] communicated to all users of international airspace,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement reported in the Moscow Times, according to Aljazeera.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/russia-gives-awards-to-pilots-who-downed-drone-vows-to-continue