Turkish jets shoot down Russian warplane, Russia denies airspace violation

 Nov 24, 2015

An image showing a Russian warplane going down in flames in Syria near the Turkish border, November 24, 2015.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets have shot down a Russian warplane close to the Syrian border, accusing it of violating Turkish airspace, while the Russian Defense Ministry denies that the airspace violation took place.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the downed plane was a Russian Su-24. It said it can prove the aircraft was over Syria during its entire flight. This is while the Turkish military said the plane was warned “ten times” before it was shot down.

Turkish officials say two warplanes approached the country’s border and were warned before one of them was shot down.

Russia is involved in an aerial military campaign against terrorists in Syria, which started upon a request by the government in Damascus.

Private Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV broadcast the footage on Tuesday, saying the incident happened on the same day.

Other footage by Anadolou apparently showed two pilots parachuting away from the plane. CNN Turk has cited local sources as saying that one of the downed jet’s pilots is in hands of Turkmen forces in northern Syria.

Some reports say Russian helicopters are conducting low-altitude flights in the area to look for the pilots.

Other reports by regional Arabic media outlets indicate that one of the pilots has been killed under unclear circumstances.  

(This item is being updated.)