Putin condemns Turkey after Russian warplane downed near Syria border
Vladimir Putin has called Turkey “accomplices of terrorists” and warned
of “serious consequences” after a Turkish F-16 jet shot down a Russian
warplane on Tuesday morning, the first time a Nato country and Moscow
have exchanged direct fire over the crisis in Syria.
The Russian president, speaking before a meeting with King Abdullah II
of Jordan in Sochi, said the plane had been shot down over Syrian
airspace and fell 4km inside Syria. Putin said it was “obvious” the plane
posed no threat to Turkey.
“Our military is doing heroic work against
terrorism … But the loss today is a stab in
the back, carried out by the accomplices of
terrorists. I can’t describe it in any other
way,” he said. Putin suggested the Turks
were shielding Islamic State terrorists from
Russian attacks, saying: “Do they want to make Nato serve Isis?”
Ankara and the Kremlin gave conflicting accounts of the incident, which
appears to have occurred in an area near the Turkish-Syrian border
straddling Iskenderun and Latakia.
The Turkish military said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after a plane
entered Turkish airspace in the province of Hatay at 9.20am on Tuesday,
warning it to leave 10 times in five minutes before shooting it down.
A government official said: “In line with the military rules of
engagement, the Turkish authorities repeatedly warned an unidentified
aircraft that they were 15km or less away from the border. The aircraft
didn’t heed the warnings and proceeded to fly over Turkey. The Turkish
air forces responded by downing the aircraft.
“This isn’t an action against any specific
country: our F-16s took necessary steps to
defend Turkey’s sovereign territory.”
Russia’s defence ministry, in a series of
tweets, confirmed that a Russian Su-24 had
been shot down, but insisted the plane had
never left Syrian airspace and claimed that fire from the ground was
responsible. “At all times, the Su-24 was exclusively over the territory of
Syria,” the defence ministry said.
“The Su-24 was at 6,000 metres and preliminary information suggests it
was brought down by fire from the ground. The circumstances are being
investigated.”
There were unconfirmed reports that both pilots were killed after
parachuting from the jet. The Turkish TV network CNN Türk reported
that one of the pilots was found dead. A graphic video purporting to show
a dead Russian pilot has been widely circulated.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian
helicopters were combing the crash site area in Jabal al-Turkman in
Syria’s northern Latakia province for the pilots, and have apparently
blocked wireless communications.
The area near where the plane was shot down is the site of continuing
clashes between forces loyal to the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-
Assad, and rebels fighting to overthrow him.
Russia launched a military intervention in October aimed at protecting
the areas in western Syria still under control by the regime after nearly
five years of civil war. The northern Latakia countryside has seen
repeated aerial assaults by both Russian and Syrian air forces.
Tensions between Turkey and Russia have risen over Moscow’s bombing
campaign against ethnic Turkmens close to the Turkish border. Turkey
has repeatedly expressed concern over the attacks on the Turkmens, a
Sunni Muslim minority whom many Turks regard as their kith and kin.
Like the Ankara government, the Turkmens oppose Assad’s Alawite
regime.
of “serious consequences” after a Turkish F-16 jet shot down a Russian
warplane on Tuesday morning, the first time a Nato country and Moscow
have exchanged direct fire over the crisis in Syria.
The Russian president, speaking before a meeting with King Abdullah II
of Jordan in Sochi, said the plane had been shot down over Syrian
airspace and fell 4km inside Syria. Putin said it was “obvious” the plane
posed no threat to Turkey.
“Our military is doing heroic work against
terrorism … But the loss today is a stab in
the back, carried out by the accomplices of
terrorists. I can’t describe it in any other
way,” he said. Putin suggested the Turks
were shielding Islamic State terrorists from
Russian attacks, saying: “Do they want to make Nato serve Isis?”
Ankara and the Kremlin gave conflicting accounts of the incident, which
appears to have occurred in an area near the Turkish-Syrian border
straddling Iskenderun and Latakia.
The Turkish military said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after a plane
entered Turkish airspace in the province of Hatay at 9.20am on Tuesday,
warning it to leave 10 times in five minutes before shooting it down.
A government official said: “In line with the military rules of
engagement, the Turkish authorities repeatedly warned an unidentified
aircraft that they were 15km or less away from the border. The aircraft
didn’t heed the warnings and proceeded to fly over Turkey. The Turkish
air forces responded by downing the aircraft.
“This isn’t an action against any specific
country: our F-16s took necessary steps to
defend Turkey’s sovereign territory.”
Russia’s defence ministry, in a series of
tweets, confirmed that a Russian Su-24 had
been shot down, but insisted the plane had
never left Syrian airspace and claimed that fire from the ground was
responsible. “At all times, the Su-24 was exclusively over the territory of
Syria,” the defence ministry said.
“The Su-24 was at 6,000 metres and preliminary information suggests it
was brought down by fire from the ground. The circumstances are being
investigated.”
There were unconfirmed reports that both pilots were killed after
parachuting from the jet. The Turkish TV network CNN Türk reported
that one of the pilots was found dead. A graphic video purporting to show
a dead Russian pilot has been widely circulated.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian
helicopters were combing the crash site area in Jabal al-Turkman in
Syria’s northern Latakia province for the pilots, and have apparently
blocked wireless communications.
The area near where the plane was shot down is the site of continuing
clashes between forces loyal to the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-
Assad, and rebels fighting to overthrow him.
Russia launched a military intervention in October aimed at protecting
the areas in western Syria still under control by the regime after nearly
five years of civil war. The northern Latakia countryside has seen
repeated aerial assaults by both Russian and Syrian air forces.
Tensions between Turkey and Russia have risen over Moscow’s bombing
campaign against ethnic Turkmens close to the Turkish border. Turkey
has repeatedly expressed concern over the attacks on the Turkmens, a
Sunni Muslim minority whom many Turks regard as their kith and kin.
Like the Ankara government, the Turkmens oppose Assad’s Alawite
regime.
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