Turkish military says did not know downed jet was Russian

Murakhtin was rescued Wednesday after a 12-hour operation by a Syrian commando unit; his co-pilot and a Russian marine were killed during a previous failed rescue operation.

Turkey claims the incident happened after repeated warnings over airspace violations, but Moscow said it could prove the jet had not left the Syrian airspace. While the plane’s two pilots ejected, one was reportedly killed by local rebels during his descent. Most of the audio is garbled and barely comprehensible but the tone of the voice gets more agitated as the warnings appear to go unnoticed.

Both Turkish Stream and the nuclear plant could become part of a sanctions package, Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukaev said Thursday. It was not clear if Russian replies were received but not released by the Turkish government, or if the Russian pilots never replied to the warnings or if they never heard the warnings.

Military sources from Turkey said the tanks were moved by rail to an armored brigade at the western border with Syria.

Turkey obtains most of its energy from Russian Federation, and while ending those supplies would cause economic pain for Russian Federation, scrapping plans for Turkish Stream could be more expedient, says Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.

Russia has deployed its advanced S-400 air defence system in Syria, the Russian defence ministry said Thursday, with the weapons to be used to cover the area around its airbase in coastal Latakia.

Turkey believes Russian planes have bombed moderate opposition including Turkmens.

The assertion is supported by CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, who said, “None of the targets that… the Russians were going after had anything to do with ISIS”. In 2012, Syria shot down a Turkish reconnaissance plane, and a year later Turkey shot down a Syrian helicopter that allegedly entered its airspace and failed to acknowledge repeated warnings to leave.

According to the statement, Turkey did not know the identity of the SU-24 bomber when it was shot down and made intense efforts to rescue the two pilots.

In addition to the military moves, the Kremlin also acted Thursday to inflict economic pain on Turkey. It also is the largest destination for Turkish exports, mostly textiles and food, and Turkish construction companies have won a sizable niche of the Russian market.

Of most concern to Turkey is Russia’s targeting of Syrian Turkmen.

Russian Federation plans to retaliate against Turkey for the downing of a warplane by imposing sanctions, cutting economic ties and scrapping major investment projects. “We are strategic partners”, he said.