Surviving pilot of downed Russian jet safely rescued

One of two Russian pilots who ejected from a military jet shot down by Turkey has been rescued, it emerged today amid reports that the aircraft was over Syria when it was hit.

Syrian commandos found the air crewman who has been taken to a Russian military base in the civil war-ravaged country, according to a senior diplomat.

The other co-pilot of the Su-24 plane was believed to have been shot dead by rebels as he parachuted to the ground.

A Russian marine was killed when a rescue helicopter, believed to have landed in the Turkmen Mountain area during the search for the aircrew, was hit by rebel groundfire.

The plane crashes down above the tree line on the border of Syria
Reuters

Ankara insists that the Russian aircraft was downed after it violated Turkish airspace and was given ten warnings in five minutes.

But a US official was reported as saying that Washington believes the jet was hit when it was over Syrian territory.

This conclusion was based on detection of the plane’s heat signature.

So while the plane may have been engaged by a F16 Turkish fighter over Turkey, it appeared “very likely” that it was hit once it had crossed the border back into Syria.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the aircraft was attacked while flying at 6,000 metres one kilometre away from the Turkish territory.

Moscow said the jet never strayed over Turkey but Ankara has published a map of its route to counter this claim.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed this morning that he did not want any escalation of the crisis, arguing that his country had simply acted to defend its own security and the “rights of our brothers” in Syria.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced the incident as a “stab in the back” by terrorists’ associates and warned of “significant consequences”.

Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced this morning that Moscow will send its news S-400 anti-aircraft missile system to the Hemeimeem air base in the area of Syria controlled by president Bashar Assad’s regime.

Russia uses the base for its air force missions.

An S-300 air defence system may also be deployed there.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a planned visit to Turkey today.

There were also warnings for Russian tourists to avoid travelling to Turkey because of the security situation, which could be a big blow to the country’s hospitality industry.

Turkish companies may be frozen out of Russian contracts.

Mr Putin this morning accused Turkey’s political leaders of encouraging the Islamisation of Turkish society.

Referring to the shooting down of the Russian plane, he said: “The problem is not the tragedy we witnessed yesterday.

“The problem is much deeper. We observe ... that the current Turkish leadership over a significant number of years has been pursuing a deliberate policy of supporting the Islamisation of their country.”

Russia had been moving closer to working alongside the US-led forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The co-operation was seen as paving the way for the easing of Western isolation measures against Russia following Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine.

But the Turkish shooting down of the Russian jet threatened to derail the rapprochment.

This morning the chief executive of the Russian state-controlled gas company said it was halting supplies to Ukraine.

Russia’s ambassador to France Alexandre Orlov said the rescued pilot had been taken to the Russian military base in Latakia province in northern Syria.

World leaders have urged both Russia and Turkey to try to defuse the situation.

Moscow at first claimed the Su-24 jet was shot down by rebels opposed to Syrian president Bashad Assad, but later confirmed it was targeted by a Turkish F-16.

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