No warnings from Turkey received before being shot down, says surviving Russian pilot
Turkey says it warned the crew 10 times before firing down the plane.
By REUTERSUpdated: NOVEMBER 25, 2015 18:31A radar picture shows activities of the downed Russian warplane on the Turkish-Syrian border, November 24, 2015 in this handout photo provided by Turkish Interior Ministry(photo credit: REUTERS)
MOSCOW - The surviving crew member of a Russian fighter jet shot down by Turkey said on Wednesday the plane received no warnings from the Turkish Air Force and did not fly over Turkish air space, Russian news agencies reported.Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border after repeated warnings, reportedly a total of 10, over air space violations before shooting the plane down.Moscow said it could prove the jet had not left Syrian air space.Syrian rebel group releases video of downed Russian pilotA Syrian rebel group released video Tuesday of one of the Russian pilots, lifeless and incapacitated on the ground. Russia later confirmed that it was their pilot who was killed. Russia warned that there would be "inevitable consequences" for the incident and both countries suspended military cooperation.Footage from private Turkish broadcaster Haberturk TV showed the warplane going down in flames in a woodland area, a long plume of smoke trailing behind it. The plane went down in an area known by Turks as "Turkmen Mountain," it said.Separate footage from Turkey's Anadolu Agency showed two pilots parachuting out of the jet before it crashed. A Syrian rebel group sent a video to Reuters that appeared to show one of the pilots immobile and badly wounded on the ground and an official from the group said he was dead.While US President Barack Obama publicly expressed support for Ankara's right to defend its sovereignty US officials reportedly believe Turkey needlessly escalated tensions.CBS News on Tuesday quoted anonymous US officials as blaming Turkey for overreacting to a minor violation of its airspace.