Putin warns Turkey after jet shot down

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of “significant consequences” and dubbed Turkey “accomplices of terrorists” on November 24 after a Russian Su-24 was shot down by Turkey.

The attack on the Russian plane by Turkey is the first direct military confrontation between Russia and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member since the Cold War.

The same day that Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet for allegedly violating Turkey’s airspace, Syrian rebels affiliated with the Free Syrian Army published a video purporting to show their fighters blowing up a stationary Russian-made helicopter on YouTube.

USA sources assessed the Russian jet flew in Turkish airspace lasted only few seconds.

Mr Putin said the plane was struck 1km inside Syria, while attacking what he claimed were concentrations of Russian-born Islamic State fighters “who could return to Russia at any time”.

In a statement published on the defence ministry’s website, Rudskoi said a Russian soldier had been killed when his Mi-8 helicopter was “damaged by gunfire and had to land” during a search-and-rescue operation to retrieve the pair.

The Turkish military said the aircraft had been warned 10 times in the space of five minutes about violating Turkish air space.

Mr Putin said: ‘We will never tolerate such atrocities as happened today and we hope that the global community will find the strength to join forces and fight this evil’.

Stoltenberg sought better communication channels between Russian Federation and western militaries “so incidents don’t spiral out of control”.

Syrian rebel group claims to have hit a Russian helicopter with an anti-tank missile, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There was no official confirmation from Russian Federation, and state-run television news cited only foreign reports.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended Turkey’s decision to down the plane, saying on Tuesday that it was Turkey’s “national duty” to protect the country’s security.

Pavel Felgengauer said Ankara is seeking to protect a zone in northern Syria controlled by its allies, the Turkmens.