Kremlin Say There Was No Violation Of Turkish Airspace

Tensions between Russia and Turkey, and by extension NATO, escalated Tuesday when a Russian Su-24 was shot down by Turkey after reportedly warning the pilot repeatedly about violating Turkish airspace.

Russia disputes that claim, saying that the airplane had remained over Syria for its entire sortie.

The BBC reports that Turkish F-16s engaged the Su-24 after what Turkish officials say were repeated warnings to the Russian pilot that he was violating Turkish airspace. The plane was hit by an air-to-air missile, and went down about two and a half miles from the Turkish border in Syria. Both crewmembers of the airplane ejected, but according to Syrian rebels, at least one died of his injuries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a "stab in the back by the accomplices of terrorists" and added that Russia's pilots and plane "did not in any way threaten Turkey. It is quite clear."

Turkish military officials said that the F-16s had fired on the unidentified aircraft after warning it 10 times over five minutes that it had entered Turkish airspace in Hatay province over the town of Yayladagi.

The New York Times reports that a Russian helicopter conducting a search for the pilots of the downed plane was also shot down in Syria by rebel forces in the region. The paper reports that one of the pilots was shot while descending in his parachute, and the other was captured.

(Graphic provided by Turkish Armed Forces)

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