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| Turkey Shoots Down Russian Warplane Near Syrian Border | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| ISTANBUL — Turkish fighter jets on patrol near the Syrian border shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday after it violated Turkey’s airspace, a long-feared escalation that could further strain relations between Russia and the West. | ISTANBUL — Turkish fighter jets on patrol near the Syrian border shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday after it violated Turkey’s airspace, a long-feared escalation that could further strain relations between Russia and the West. |
| The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that one of its jets, a Sukhoi SU-24, had crashed in Syria but said it had been downed “presumably as a result of shelling from the ground.” | The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that one of its jets, a Sukhoi SU-24, had crashed in Syria but said it had been downed “presumably as a result of shelling from the ground.” |
| The Russian Defense Ministry also asserted that, “The plane stayed exclusively above the territory of Syria throughout the entire flight,” and said that the two pilots had ejected. | The Russian Defense Ministry also asserted that, “The plane stayed exclusively above the territory of Syria throughout the entire flight,” and said that the two pilots had ejected. |
| The Turkish military did not identify the nationality of the plane but said in a statement on its website that its pilots fired only after repeated warnings to the other warplane. | The Turkish military did not identify the nationality of the plane but said in a statement on its website that its pilots fired only after repeated warnings to the other warplane. |
| “The aircraft entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yaylidag, in the southeastern Hatay province,” the statement read. “The plane was warned 10 times in the space of 5 minutes before it was taken down.” | “The aircraft entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yaylidag, in the southeastern Hatay province,” the statement read. “The plane was warned 10 times in the space of 5 minutes before it was taken down.” |
| The incident comes just a day before Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, is scheduled to travel to Turkey for what now promises to be tense discussions. The countries’ relations have been strained by the Kremlin’s intervention in Syria on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad and against the rebels backed by Ankara. | The incident comes just a day before Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, is scheduled to travel to Turkey for what now promises to be tense discussions. The countries’ relations have been strained by the Kremlin’s intervention in Syria on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad and against the rebels backed by Ankara. |
| Russia’s presidential spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said in Moscow on Tuesday that it was impossible to say how this would affect relations between the countries until the circumstances were more fully understood. | Russia’s presidential spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said in Moscow on Tuesday that it was impossible to say how this would affect relations between the countries until the circumstances were more fully understood. |
| Russia’s entry into the heavily trafficked skies around Syria raised immediate concerns about mishaps, inadvertent or otherwise, that could lead to confrontations involving Turkey, a NATO member, and the United States. Turkey has warned Moscow about intrusions in its airspace at least two times since it began its bombing campaign in September and last week shot down an unmanned aerial device that analysts said was likely of Russian origin. | Russia’s entry into the heavily trafficked skies around Syria raised immediate concerns about mishaps, inadvertent or otherwise, that could lead to confrontations involving Turkey, a NATO member, and the United States. Turkey has warned Moscow about intrusions in its airspace at least two times since it began its bombing campaign in September and last week shot down an unmanned aerial device that analysts said was likely of Russian origin. |
| The Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, ordered the Foreign Ministry to consult with NATO and the United Nations over this episode, his office said in a statement, without elaborating. | The Turkish prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, ordered the Foreign Ministry to consult with NATO and the United Nations over this episode, his office said in a statement, without elaborating. |
| Television footage shown on the privately owned Turkish channel Haberturk showed a warplane exploding in the air and tumbling down in flames in a wooded area, identified by the broadcaster as a region of northern Syria known to Turks as the Turkmen Mountains. | Television footage shown on the privately owned Turkish channel Haberturk showed a warplane exploding in the air and tumbling down in flames in a wooded area, identified by the broadcaster as a region of northern Syria known to Turks as the Turkmen Mountains. |
| Another video published by the semiofficial news service Anadolu Agency showed two figures parachuting from the aircraft. | Another video published by the semiofficial news service Anadolu Agency showed two figures parachuting from the aircraft. |
| Last week, Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador, Andrey G. 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, Andrey G. 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 called for the protection of Turkmens, who are of Turkish descent, in Syria. | Ankara has long called for the protection of Turkmens, who are of Turkish descent, in Syria. |
| The downing of the jet on Tuesday was the first time that anything negative has dominated Russian news coverage of the military campaign. | The downing of the jet on Tuesday was the first time that anything negative has dominated Russian news coverage of the military campaign. |
| Coverage in the state-controlled news media has been heavily sanitized, consisting mostly of cockpit videos of bombs striking targets or of generals talking in briefing rooms. The first publicly acknowledged casualty, the death of a young soldier last month, was quickly dismissed officially as a suicide. The Russian officials vehemently deny that their bombing campaign has killed any civilians in Syria. | Coverage in the state-controlled news media has been heavily sanitized, consisting mostly of cockpit videos of bombs striking targets or of generals talking in briefing rooms. The first publicly acknowledged casualty, the death of a young soldier last month, was quickly dismissed officially as a suicide. The Russian officials vehemently deny that their bombing campaign has killed any civilians in Syria. |
| The Kremlin is highly sensitive to comparisons with the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan 35 years ago, which despite Soviet censors slowly soured much of the public on foreign intervention. | The Kremlin is highly sensitive to comparisons with the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan 35 years ago, which despite Soviet censors slowly soured much of the public on foreign intervention. |