Putin: Russian SU-24 fighter jet was shot down by Turkish air force over Syrian territory
The Russian fighter jet Su-24 did not pose any threat to Turkey, but was attacked and shot down by air-to-air missile from Turkish F-16 fighter jet one kilometer off Turkish border, and fell on the ground in four kilometers off the border.
According to Russia Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with the king of Jordan in Sochi, that the downed Russian jet and pilots “had posed no threat to Turkey”.
“This incident stands out against the usual fight against terrorism. Our troops are fighting heroically against terrorists, risking their lives. But the loss we suffered today came from a stab in the back delivered by accomplices of the terrorists,” Putin said.
Accorting to RT, one of the two pilots of the downed Russian warplane was reported killed by a rebel group as he was parachuting down on the ground after ejecting from the plane. The fate of the second pilot remains unknown.