The plane crashed into a mountainside on Syrian soil after being hit by a missile from a Turkish F-16 fighter jet on Tuesday.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Turkey’s hostile act, that killed two Russian military personnel, as a “stab in the back”, administered by “the accomplices of terrorists”.
This was not the first time Russian fighter jets had violated Turkish airspace.
The president dismissed Russian claims that the plane had been on an anti-terror mission against Islamic State jihadists in northern Syria, saying that the area was populated by Syria’s Turkmen minority. Russian Federation previously insisted that its plane never violated the Turkish airspace as Turkey claimed.
Russian Federation announced Wednesday it will deploy long-range air defense missiles to its base in Syria and destroy any target that may threaten its warplanes.
The incident has prompted calls in the worldwide community for Russian Federation and Turkey to resolve the issue through peaceful negotiations and prevent further escalations.
Selcuk Unal, Turkey’s ambassador to Canada, says his country has reached out to Russian Federation in an effort to defuse the situation, which he says was the result of a “communication mistake”.
Turkey said that they shot down the Russian warplane “near the Syrian border after repeated warnings over air space violations” but Russia said “it could prove the jet had not left Syrian air space”, according to Reuters.
Russian Federation said earlier this week that it would not consider military action after its plane was shot down, but has warned of “serious consequences” for relations with Ankara.
As we reported Wednesday, both Russian crew members appeared to eject from the jet and parachute to the ground, but one was reportedly found dead Tuesday by a Syrian rebel group.
In the recordings, a voice is heard saying in broken English: “This is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard”.
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Putin said there was “no doubt” that oil from “terrorist-controlled” territory in Syria was making its way across the border into Turkey.
