ACT OF WAR: Turkey Shoots Down Russian Military Jet
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A NATO member just shot down a Russian military jet...
Turkey has shot down a Russian military jet which it says violated its airspace near the Syrian border.
The Russian Defence Ministry and Turkish Presidency, quoted in Russian and Turkish media reports, have both described the plane as Russian, and video posted by the Haberturk TV station appeared to show the jet coming down in flames.
A military official, quoted by Turkey's Dogan news agency, said the plane was shot down by Turkish F16s, and that the pilot was given prior warning.
Various reports described the plane as coming down in hostile Syrian territory, and the fate of the two pilots on board was unknown.
Initial reports claim that the pilots successfully ejected and are safe. But the story is developing.
The Russian Ministry of Defense says that it has proof that the plane was flying in Syrian, not Turkish, airspace at the time of the attack.
We cannot emphasize enough how jaw-droppingly dumb Turkey is: A NATO member just shot down a Russian military jet.
UPDATE: A video has surfaced claiming to show the body of one of the pilots. The fate of the second pilot is still unknown