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| Russian fighter jet downed near Turkey-Syria border – live updates | Russian fighter jet downed near Turkey-Syria border – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 11.03am GMT11:03 | |
| Reuters says it has been sent a copy of that graphic video purporting to show the dead Russian pilot. | |
| BREAKING: Video sent by Syrian rebel group to Reuters claims to show Russian pilot immobile on ground, official from group says he is dead | |
| 10.55am GMT10:55 | |
| Shaun Walker | |
| Putin, who was in Iran on Monday, has a planned meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan today in Sochi, writes Shaun Walker | |
| The Russian president is expected to speak on the Su-24 incident during a press appearance after that. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had a visit to Turkey planned tomorrow, there is no word on whether this will go ahead. | |
| 10.53am GMT10:53 | |
| Julian Borger | |
| Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat who is now the chairman of the Edam think tank in Istanbul, says he is surprised an incident likes this hasn’t happened before. | |
| “This was an incident in the making for some time as we have had some near misses in the past few weeks wher Turkey did not fully implement its own rules of engagement.” | |
| “There were two airspace violations, and after that a very high level Russian military delegation came to Turkey to talk about it, including a top air force official. They apologised for one of the incidents, saying that in that case the Russian pilot didn’t speak the language. So we thought we had an understanding and solved the problem.” | |
| “So it’s a surprise that it happened since that visit,” Ulgen, who is also a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “But it’s not a surprise in terms of Russian strategy. Since the intervention the Russians have been testing the Turkish response at its borders and its rules of engagement. | |
| “In this case, the pilot was warned a number of times. First at 13 miles out from the Turkish border, and then at 5 miles out, which is when Turkish jets scramble. It went past all those thresholds,” he said. | |
| 10.37am GMT10:37 | |
| Putin's spokesman calls for patience | |
| Shaun Walker | |
| Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, has issued a cautious early response writes Shaun Walker in Moscow. | |
| RIA Novosti quoted Peskov saying: | |
| “It would be incorrect to make any evaluations or statements until we have the full information. So we just need to show patience. It’s a very serious event. But, without the full information it’s impossible to say anything, it wouldn’t be right.” | |
| Updated at 10.41am GMT | |
| 10.35am GMT10:35 | |
| Video purporting to show dead Russian pilot | |
| Graphic video purporting to show a dead Russian pilot is being widely circulated, but we cannot verify its authenticity. | |
| BrookingsDoha analyst Charles Lister says the video shows the dead pilot wearing Russian uniform and equipment. He says the dead pilot is now reported to be in the hands of anti-Assad rebels from the Alwiya Al-‘Ashar group. | |
| Updated at 10.38am GMT | |
| 10.26am GMT10:26 | 10.26am GMT10:26 |
| Turkey has released flight radar images appearing to show that the Russian jet briefly flew over southern Turkey before it as shot down, CNN Turk reports. | Turkey has released flight radar images appearing to show that the Russian jet briefly flew over southern Turkey before it as shot down, CNN Turk reports. |
| #BREAKING Flight radar track on downed warplane issued by Turkish military pic.twitter.com/xREQbclVwK | #BREAKING Flight radar track on downed warplane issued by Turkish military pic.twitter.com/xREQbclVwK |
| 10.21am GMT10:21 | 10.21am GMT10:21 |
| Nato officials say that they are in touch with the Turkish authorities, reports Julian Borger, our diplomatic editor. | Nato officials say that they are in touch with the Turkish authorities, reports Julian Borger, our diplomatic editor. |
| Nato has not said whether they are in touch with Moscow. | Nato has not said whether they are in touch with Moscow. |
| The New York Times reports that Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has ordered the foreign ministry to consult with NATO and the United Nations over the episode. | The New York Times reports that Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has ordered the foreign ministry to consult with NATO and the United Nations over the episode. |
| Last week, Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador, Andrei Karlov, to discuss Ankara’s concerns over the bombing of Turkmen villages in northern Syria and called for an immediate end to the Russian military operation close to the Turkish border, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement. | Last week, Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador, Andrei Karlov, to discuss Ankara’s concerns over the bombing of Turkmen villages in northern Syria and called for an immediate end to the Russian military operation close to the Turkish border, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement. |
| “It was stressed that the Russian side’s actions were not a fight against terror, but they bombed civilian Turkmen villages and this could lead to serious consequences,” the statement said. | “It was stressed that the Russian side’s actions were not a fight against terror, but they bombed civilian Turkmen villages and this could lead to serious consequences,” the statement said. |
| Ankara has long sought the protection of Turkmens, who are of Turkish descent, in Syria. | Ankara has long sought the protection of Turkmens, who are of Turkish descent, in Syria. |
| Updated at 10.24am GMT | Updated at 10.24am GMT |
| 10.19am GMT10:19 | 10.19am GMT10:19 |
| Shaun Walker | Shaun Walker |
| Shaun Walker in Moscow writes: The big question now, of course, is how Russia will respond? | Shaun Walker in Moscow writes: The big question now, of course, is how Russia will respond? |
| President Putin is reportedly readying a statement. On Russian state television, there was little discussion of the Turkish claim they had shot the plane down, with anchors and analysts speculating that the Su-24 could have been shot down by rebels with anti-aircraft weapons. This chimes with the Russian Defence Ministry’s claim that the plane was shot down from the ground, but completely contradicts the Turkish statement that an F-16 from its airforce shot the plane down. | President Putin is reportedly readying a statement. On Russian state television, there was little discussion of the Turkish claim they had shot the plane down, with anchors and analysts speculating that the Su-24 could have been shot down by rebels with anti-aircraft weapons. This chimes with the Russian Defence Ministry’s claim that the plane was shot down from the ground, but completely contradicts the Turkish statement that an F-16 from its airforce shot the plane down. |
| 10.13am GMT10:13 | 10.13am GMT10:13 |
| Constanze Letsch | Constanze Letsch |
| According to CNNTurk reporting from the border town of Yayladagi, one of the Russian pilots is in the hands of Turkmen opposition fighters, while they are still looking for the second pilot on the ground, writes Constanze Letsch. | According to CNNTurk reporting from the border town of Yayladagi, one of the Russian pilots is in the hands of Turkmen opposition fighters, while they are still looking for the second pilot on the ground, writes Constanze Letsch. |
| Local media also say that Russian helicopters are searching for the two fighter jet pilots, but that Turkmen forces prevent them from landing. | Local media also say that Russian helicopters are searching for the two fighter jet pilots, but that Turkmen forces prevent them from landing. |
| CNN Turk later reported one of the pilots was found dead. | CNN Turk later reported one of the pilots was found dead. |
| Unverified footage claimed to show the pilots body, according to analyst Eliot Higgins who monitors the conflict in Syria on social media. | Unverified footage claimed to show the pilots body, according to analyst Eliot Higgins who monitors the conflict in Syria on social media. |
| Graphic, unverified, photo of what's claimed to be a dead Russian pilot being shared, not bringing up any reverse image search results. | Graphic, unverified, photo of what's claimed to be a dead Russian pilot being shared, not bringing up any reverse image search results. |
| 10.04am GMT10:04 | 10.04am GMT10:04 |
| Today’s incident comes just over a month after a Turkish jet shot down a drone that entered its airspace from Syria. | Today’s incident comes just over a month after a Turkish jet shot down a drone that entered its airspace from Syria. |
| The drone was a similar size and shape to small surveillance craft used by Russia, and military sources in Beirut and the Turkish capital said it is likely that it belonged to the Russian military. But Moscow said all its jets and drones had returned safely to base. | The drone was a similar size and shape to small surveillance craft used by Russia, and military sources in Beirut and the Turkish capital said it is likely that it belonged to the Russian military. But Moscow said all its jets and drones had returned safely to base. |
| Turkey had warned Moscow, after several incursions by fighter jets earlier this month, that it would not tolerate further entries into its airspace. Turkish officials appeared anxious, however, to avoid an escalation on Friday, emphasising that the aircraft was unmanned and refusing to publicly apportion blame. | Turkey had warned Moscow, after several incursions by fighter jets earlier this month, that it would not tolerate further entries into its airspace. Turkish officials appeared anxious, however, to avoid an escalation on Friday, emphasising that the aircraft was unmanned and refusing to publicly apportion blame. |
| The encounter underscored the febrile atmosphere along the Turkish-Syrian border, where Russia has emerged as a major player in the Syrian war over the past month, boosting the fortunes of Bashar al-Assad and, in doing so, weakening Turkey’s four-year campaign to oust the beleaguered Syrian leader. | The encounter underscored the febrile atmosphere along the Turkish-Syrian border, where Russia has emerged as a major player in the Syrian war over the past month, boosting the fortunes of Bashar al-Assad and, in doing so, weakening Turkey’s four-year campaign to oust the beleaguered Syrian leader. |
| Turkey’s entire 900km frontier with its southern neighbour is now deeply unstable, with Islamic State again ascendant north of Aleppo, Kurdish groups having used the chaos to advance their ambitions, and Russia having effectively established a no-fly zone above north-west Syria, where many of Ankara’s allies are based. | Turkey’s entire 900km frontier with its southern neighbour is now deeply unstable, with Islamic State again ascendant north of Aleppo, Kurdish groups having used the chaos to advance their ambitions, and Russia having effectively established a no-fly zone above north-west Syria, where many of Ankara’s allies are based. |
| 9.59am GMT09:59 | 9.59am GMT09:59 |
| The incident highlights the failure of US and Russia attempts to “deconflict” military conflict over Syria. The US, which is leading an aerial campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq was not involved in the incident. But after Russia launched its own bombing campaign over Syria, the US pledged to ensure that US and Russian air forces don’t shoot at each other while they conduct overlapping air campaigns over Syria. | The incident highlights the failure of US and Russia attempts to “deconflict” military conflict over Syria. The US, which is leading an aerial campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq was not involved in the incident. But after Russia launched its own bombing campaign over Syria, the US pledged to ensure that US and Russian air forces don’t shoot at each other while they conduct overlapping air campaigns over Syria. |
| Related: 'Deconflict': buzzword to prevent risk of a US-Russian clash over Syria | Related: 'Deconflict': buzzword to prevent risk of a US-Russian clash over Syria |
| 9.52am GMT09:52 | 9.52am GMT09:52 |
| The incident is the first time a Nato member has come to direct blows with Russia over the crisis in Syria, Kareem Shaheen in Beirut and Shaun Walker in Moscow point out. | The incident is the first time a Nato member has come to direct blows with Russia over the crisis in Syria, Kareem Shaheen in Beirut and Shaun Walker in Moscow point out. |
| The area near where the plane was shot down is the site of ongoing clashes between forces loyal to the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and rebels fighting to overthrow him. | The area near where the plane was shot down is the site of ongoing clashes between forces loyal to the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and rebels fighting to overthrow him. |
| Russia launched a military intervention in October aimed at protecting the areas in western Syria still under control by the regime after nearly five years of civil war, and the northern Latakia countryside has seen repeated aerial assaults by both the Russian and Syrian air forces. | Russia launched a military intervention in October aimed at protecting the areas in western Syria still under control by the regime after nearly five years of civil war, and the northern Latakia countryside has seen repeated aerial assaults by both the Russian and Syrian air forces. |
| Shortly after the Russian intervention, Turkey warned the Kremlin that it would not tolerate violations of its airspace, after two incidents that prompted consultations with Nato. | Shortly after the Russian intervention, Turkey warned the Kremlin that it would not tolerate violations of its airspace, after two incidents that prompted consultations with Nato. |
| Turkey opposes Assad and has condemned the Russian intervention for targeting rebels not affiliated with the terror group Islamic State. | Turkey opposes Assad and has condemned the Russian intervention for targeting rebels not affiliated with the terror group Islamic State. |
| The latest incident highlights the grave risks of clashes of arms between the various international forces that have intervened in Syria. A coalition led by the US is conducting an ongoing campaign against Isis in the country, and American and Russian officials have worked on ensuring there are no clashes between their forces as they pursue their separate campaigns. | The latest incident highlights the grave risks of clashes of arms between the various international forces that have intervened in Syria. A coalition led by the US is conducting an ongoing campaign against Isis in the country, and American and Russian officials have worked on ensuring there are no clashes between their forces as they pursue their separate campaigns. |
| But the shooting down of the Russian plane is an escalation that leaves open the possibility of an open clash between a Nato member state and Russia, whose intervention shows an increasing assertiveness in international affairs. | But the shooting down of the Russian plane is an escalation that leaves open the possibility of an open clash between a Nato member state and Russia, whose intervention shows an increasing assertiveness in international affairs. |
| 9.47am GMT09:47 | 9.47am GMT09:47 |
| Turkey's version of events | Turkey's version of events |
| The jet violated Turkish airspace, according to Turkey’s version of events courtesy of the state Anadolu agency” | The jet violated Turkish airspace, according to Turkey’s version of events courtesy of the state Anadolu agency” |
| Turkish jets shot down a warplane believed to be a Russian type SU-24 for violating Turkey’s airspace near its border with Syria on Tuesday, Turkish presidential sources said. | Turkish jets shot down a warplane believed to be a Russian type SU-24 for violating Turkey’s airspace near its border with Syria on Tuesday, Turkish presidential sources said. |
| The warplane went down in Syria’s northwestern Turkmen town of Bayirbucak near Turkey’s border within the framework of engagement rules, the sources added. | The warplane went down in Syria’s northwestern Turkmen town of Bayirbucak near Turkey’s border within the framework of engagement rules, the sources added. |
| The Turkish General Staff said the downed foreign jet was issued 10 warnings in five minutes and it was shot down by two F-16s. | The Turkish General Staff said the downed foreign jet was issued 10 warnings in five minutes and it was shot down by two F-16s. |
| Turkish Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar briefed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation following the crash. Akar along with Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu also briefed Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. | Turkish Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar briefed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the situation following the crash. Akar along with Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu also briefed Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. |
| 9.44am GMT09:44 | 9.44am GMT09:44 |
| Russia's version of events | Russia's version of events |
| Here’s Russia’s Ministry of Defence version of what happen: | Here’s Russia’s Ministry of Defence version of what happen: |
| Today an aircraft from the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic crashed on the territory of Syria supposedly shot down from the ground. | Today an aircraft from the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic crashed on the territory of Syria supposedly shot down from the ground. |
| The aircraft was flying at the altitude of 6,000 metres. The status of the Russian pilots is being defined. | The aircraft was flying at the altitude of 6,000 metres. The status of the Russian pilots is being defined. |
| According to the preliminary data, the pilots managed to eject from the warplane. | According to the preliminary data, the pilots managed to eject from the warplane. |
| The circumstances of the crash are being defined. | The circumstances of the crash are being defined. |
| During all the flight time, the aircraft was flying only within the borders of the Syrian territory. That was registered by objective monitoring data. | During all the flight time, the aircraft was flying only within the borders of the Syrian territory. That was registered by objective monitoring data. |
| 9.37am GMT09:37 | 9.37am GMT09:37 |
| Daily Sabah has footage appearing to show the pilots parachuting before the SU-24 crashed. | Daily Sabah has footage appearing to show the pilots parachuting before the SU-24 crashed. |
| Video shows pilots ejected with parachutes from downed Russian warplane https://t.co/WwECrg6iIE pic.twitter.com/elgXPLhgGF | Video shows pilots ejected with parachutes from downed Russian warplane https://t.co/WwECrg6iIE pic.twitter.com/elgXPLhgGF |
| 9.31am GMT09:31 | 9.31am GMT09:31 |
| Welcome to live coverage of the aftermath of the apparent shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkish forces near the border with Syria. | Welcome to live coverage of the aftermath of the apparent shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkish forces near the border with Syria. |
| Here’s what we know so far: | Here’s what we know so far: |
| #SONDAKİKA! Türkmen Dağı'nın yakınına savaş uçağı düştü... Uçağın düşme anını Habertürk TV ekibi görüntüledi https://t.co/PCUK9Z6RTA | #SONDAKİKA! Türkmen Dağı'nın yakınına savaş uçağı düştü... Uçağın düşme anını Habertürk TV ekibi görüntüledi https://t.co/PCUK9Z6RTA |
| Updated at 9.38am GMT | Updated at 9.38am GMT |