Putin was speaking in televised comments on Wednesday after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies that the man was rescued in a 12-hour operation which ended in the early hours on Wednesday and is now “safe and sound” at Russia’s air base in the government-controlled area in Syria.
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Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on his ministry’s Twitter feed that the country would deploy S-400 defense missile systems to its Hmeymim airbase near Latakia, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. The Turkish border is less than 30 miles away.
In a press call on Wednesday morning, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Turkey’s decision to shoot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday seemed like a “planned provocation”. Syrian TV only quoted Russia’s ambassador to France as saying the pilot is in the hands of the Syrian army.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Turkey of “significant consequences” in the wake of the incident.
The Su-24 jet was flying one kilometer (0.6 mile) inside Syria when it was hit, and crashed four kilometers from the line, Putin said. “Do not deceive us! We are only defending our own security and the rights of our brothers”, Erdogan said. And some of the Turkish people are also unsympathetic to the victims of ISIS terrorism.
Still, even as Erdogan has insisted Turkey doesn’t want to escalate the situation, the fire in his words – and those of Putin – show that the conflict in Syria has now churned up a new and alarming wave of worldwide turbulence.
The Turkish Air Force shot down the Russian military planes SU-24 in its airspace November 24.
But Lavrov says Moscow has “no intention to go to war with Turkey”, the AP writes. “But there was nothing”.
Adding to the tensions were the fates of the two Russian pilots aboard the bomber. One of the pilots has been confirmed dead by Russian authorities, shot by rebel ground units after ejecting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the current Turkish leadership has purposefully pursued the Islamisation of the country for a number of years. A Russian marine was also killed by the militants during the rescue mission.
A second pilot was rescued by Russian and Syrian special forces. He is to be awarded an Order of Courage.
But the Russian response was also carefully calibrated.
Speaking at a business event in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey had made a “huge effort” to prevent an incident like the downing of the Russian aircraft, but that the limits of its patience had been tested.
But removing all risk of clashes in the crowded Syrian battlefield appears tricky, with regional foes like Iran and Saudi Arabia involved. He again defended Turkey’s action, saying Russian Federation was warned on several occasions that Turkey would take action in case its border is violated in line with its military rules of engagement. He also rejected the Turkey’s claim that it has issued repeated warnings to the Russian crew before shooting down the plane.
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“Turkish planes violate the Syrian border daily, either for reconnaissance flights or for anti-IS operations”, he said.
