Turkey has neither apologized nor offered compensation for the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber, said Vladimir Putin at a Kremlin ambassadorial ceremony earlier today.
“What took place two days ago contradicts common sense and international law. The plane was shot down in Syrian territory,” said the Russian President. The Turkish leadership has consciously forced relations with Russia to a standstill, Putin added.
Moscow officials say the Russian Su-24 was one kilometer away from Turkey's border conducting operations against ISIL when it was shot down by the Turkish Air Force.
The pilot was shot and killed by terrorists while he parachuted from the plane. The navigator, however, was rescued and brought to Russia's airbase near Latakia. He claims at no point did their plane violate Turkish airspace.
Vladimir Putin has called the incident a “stab in the back” from supporters of terrorism, promising "serious consequences" for Russian-Turkish relations.
On November 24, a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft was shot down in Syria earlier today, while conducting airstrikes against terrorist targets near the Turkish border. Turkey says the plane violated its airspace 10 times within a five-minute period, which defense officials in Moscow flatly deny.
Later on November 24, a Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed in Syrian territory controlled by armed militants, claiming the life of a Russian marine. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the helicopter was part of a search-and-rescue effort for the Su-24's pilots. The killed Russian marine was a contract soldier, not a conscript.
The flight navigator of the Russian Sukhoi Su-24 was rescued by Syrian government forces and evacuated to safety. He claims the Turkish F-16s fired on him and his copilot without warning.