A
Turkish Air ForceF-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian
Sukhoi Su-24Mattack aircraft near the
Syria–Turkey border on 24 November 2015.[1][2] According to
Turkey, the aircraft was fired upon while in Turkish
airspace because it violated the border up to a depth of 2.19 kilometres (1.36 miles) for about 17 seconds after being warned to change its
heading ten times over a period of five minutes before entering the airspace.[3][4] The
Russia Defence Ministry denied that the aircraft ever left Syrian airspace, claiming that their
satellite data showed that the Sukhoi was about 1,000 metres (1,100 yd) inside Syrian airspace when it was shot down.[5]
The
U.S. State Department said that the U.S. independently confirmed that the aircraft's flight path violated Turkish territory, and that the Turks gave multiple warnings to the pilot, to which they received no response and released audio recordings of the warnings they had broadcast.[6][7]Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan pointed out that Turkey had the right to defend its
airspace.[8] Although
Russian presidentVladimir Putin said that the U.S. knew the flight path of the Russian jet and should have informed Turkey, two U.S. officials said that Russia had not informed the U.S. military of its jet's flight plan.[9]
The Russian pilot and navigator both
ejected from the aircraft. The navigator Konstantin Murakhtin was rescued, but the pilot
Oleg Peshkov was shot and killed by
Syrian rebel ground fire while descending by parachute.[10] A Russian
marine from the
search and rescue team launched to retrieve the two airmen was also killed when a rescue helicopter was targeted by the rebels.[10][11]
After the
2012 shooting down of a Turkish RF-4E Phantom II Jet by Syrian forces, Turkish prime minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan protested, saying that brief incursions should not trigger an attack, pointing out that Turkey did not shoot down Syrian helicopters that strayed into Turkish airspace.[18][19][20] Nevertheless, as a response to the event he announced that Turkey changed its
rules of engagement, and said it would start to consider all "military elements" approaching from Syria an enemy threat and would act accordingly.[21][22] Subsequently, Turkey shot down a Syrian
Mi-17 helicopter in September 2013[23] and a
MiG-23 warplane in March 2014.[24]
In early October, Turkey and
NATO protested against what they saw as Russia's deliberate violations of Turkish airspace.[25][a] The Russian defence ministry admitted that a Russian
Su-30 aircraft had entered Turkish airspace "for a few seconds" because of bad weather, adding that measures had been taken to prevent a repeat of such incidents, however Turkish radar had tracked the aircraft straying into Turkish airspace for up to 8 km (5 mi) lasting "several minutes".[32][33][34] From 3–15 October, five discussions between senior ranking officials from Turkey and Russia occurred, concerning Turkish rules of engagement and Russian violations of Turkish airspace.[35][36][37][38] On 6 November 2015, six
U.S. Air Force F-15C fighters were deployed by
US European Command from the
48th Fighter Wing at their
Lakenheath base in Britain to
Incirlik Air Base as part of
Operation Inherent Resolve.[22][39] The government of Turkey requested these to secure the sovereignty of Turkish airspace because of earlier repeated Russian intrusions into Turkish airspace.[22][39]
On 19 November, Russian ambassador to Turkey
Andrei Karlov and the Russian
military attaché, Colonel Andrei Victorovich Dovger, were summoned by Turkey.[40] Russia, which was criticised by Turkey for having conducted operations near the
Turkish border, a region inhabited by
Syrian Turkmen and largely free of ISIL (though
al-Nusra Front, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, was present in the region),[41][42] was notified that Turkey's rules of engagement were in place and it would react to any violations of its border security. Turkey also warned Russia that it would not be indifferent to "attacks targeting the life security of Turkmen" in the
Bayırbucak area.[43][44] The preceding week Turkey had called for the UN Security Council to discuss attacks against Turkish-backed Turkmens.[45] Approximately 1,700 people had fled the area in the previous three days due to battles between Syrian government forces and anti-government Syrian Turkmen and al-Nusra Front fighters.[42] Russia had bombed the area near the Turkish border to support
Syrian government forces.[45] Syrian Turkmen formed their own armed brigades called
Syrian Turkmen Brigades in opposition to the Syrian government of President
Bashar al-Assad, loosely affiliated with other rebels such as the
Free Syrian Army. The Turkmen brigades also cooperated with
al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the al-Nusra Front and with the
Salafi coalition known as
Ahrar al-Sham.[46] In
Latakia, the Turkish-supported rebels formed the
Jabal al-Turkman Brigade.[46]
The shootdown
On 24 November 2015 at 9:24 am local time (7:24 am
GMT),[8] as it was returning to
Khmeimim airbase, a Russian
Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft with tail number 83 white and registration number RF-90932[47] was shot down near the
Syrian–Turkish border by a missile from a patrolling
Turkish Air ForceF-16 fighter jet.[48][49] Later analysis suggested that a radar-guided, medium range
AIM-120 AMRAAM was fired from between 14–19 kilometres (9–12 mi) away.[50]The Economist reported that the two Su-24s were on their way to strike Syrian Turkmen targets.[44] Syrian government forces supported by the
Shiite militias and the Russian Air Force were fighting against Syrian Turkmen brigades,
Army of Conquest and
al-Nusra Front fighters.[42]
Early reports from Russian news agencies citing the Russian Defence Ministry, indicated that the aircraft had been downed by a ground-based strike from Syrian Turkmen rebels, but they later confirmed Turkish reports that the aircraft had been shot down by Turkish fighter jets.[citation needed] The Turkish military released a graphic of the Russian aircraft's flight pattern, which shows it crossing the southern tip of
Hatay Province before being shot down and crashing near
Turkmen Mountain.[51][52] Russia then countered Turkey's radar trace analysis by publishing a different flight map showing no airspace violation.[53][54] Three days later, on 27 November, Russia published another map.[55]
According to Turkey's statement to the
UN Security Council, two aircraft, whose nationalities were unknown at the time, violated Turkish airspace up to a depth of 2.19 km (1.36 mi) for about 17 seconds.[3][56] According to Turkish officials, the aircraft were given 10 warnings within the span of 5 minutes, by operators at a
ground-controlled interception station, to change their course.[51] Turkey later released the audio recording ("The unknown air traffic position to Humaymim 020 radial 26 miles. This is Turkish Air Force speaking on
Guard. You are approaching Turkish airspace, change your heading south immediately").[57][58][59] The Russians claim there were no warnings.[60] Analysts have noted that Turkey's warnings were issued on a dedicated mutually-agreed radio channel, which was the international Guard (emergency) channel (243.0 MHz), but the R-862M radio fitted to the Su-24M is not able to monitor this channel without optional equipment, which may not have been installed.[61][62] According to Turkey, one aircraft left Turkish national airspace after violating it; the other aircraft was fired upon by Turkish F-16s patrolling the area and crashed into Syrian territory after being hit in Turkish airspace.[3] Based on its heat signature, an anonymous American official stated that the jet was hit in Syrian airspace after a short incursion into Turkey.[63] On 30 November, US Ambassador to NATO
Douglas Lute stated that the data supported the Turkish version of events.[64]
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the Su-24 was downed from an altitude of 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) within one kilometre of the Turkish border and in Syrian airspace, while returning to the Khmeimim airbase in Syria.[49] Russia has maintained that the aircraft never left Syrian territory.[48] The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the aircraft was an Su-24 but said that it had proof the jet was within Syrian airspace.[51] According to the commander-in-chief of the
Russian Aerospace Forces,
Viktor Bondarev, a Turkish F-16 entered Syria's airspace for 40 seconds and flew 2 km (1.2 mi) inside Syrian territory, but the Russian warplane did not violate the Turkish border.[65]
Casualties
Both pilots ejected after the aircraft was hit.[51] Initially, the deputy commander of a Turkmen
Syrian opposition rebel brigade in Syria,
Alparslan Çelik (a Turkish citizen and member of the
Grey Wolves ultra-nationalist group[66][67][68]), claimed his forces had
shot dead the two pilots as they descended with parachutes,[69] and in a film a person could be heard in the background repeatedly shouting "Stop shooting!" in
Turkish as the parachutists descended.[70] A Turkish official reported that he believed both were alive.[71] It was also reported that one of the pilots had been captured by the Turkmen fighters and a video was circulated which allegedly showed the pilot's body.[72]
Russia's military general staff spokesman Lieutenant General
Sergei Rudskoi confirmed that one pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Anatolyevich Peshkov, was killed by ground fire;[73][74] the weapons systems operator was rescued.[11]
The shooting of an ejecting aircraft pilot is in contravention of Article 42 of the 1977
Protocol I of the
Geneva Conventions,[75] yet, Protocol I only apply to interstate armed conflict (i.e., fighting between opposing states) and no
international humanitarian law prohibited such practice in a non-interstate conflict (i.e., fighting between state forces and
non-state armed groups). In other words, while shooting down the Russian Sukhoi Su-24 by Turkey fell under the context of interstate conflict, the killing of the parachuting pilot was caused by a non-state armed group and therefore fell under the context of non-interstate conflict.[76]
The pilot of the Su-24, Oleg Peshkov, 45, was posthumously awarded the
Hero of the Russian Federation, the country's highest military honour; the surviving weapon systems officer, Konstantin Murakhtin, and the deceased rescuer, Alexander Pozynich, 29, received the
Order of Courage.[77] On 2 December Peshkov was
buried with full military honours in the Alley of Heroes of the cemetery in
Lipetsk with about 10,000 people attending.[78][79][80]
Search and rescue
The Turkish state-owned
Anadolu Agency showed video footage of the aircraft crashing and the two pilots parachuting down. Russian helicopters conducted low-altitude
combat search and rescue flights in the area to look for the pilot.[citation needed]
As the Russian armed forces began planning an operation to extract the pilot, the Iranian General
Qasem Soleimani contacted them and proposed a joint rescue operation under his supervision. The rescue team which General Soleimani put forth consisted of eight Hezbollah special forces personnel and 18 Syrian commandos, who were trained by Iran and had firsthand knowledge of the geography of the area, with Russia providing transport, logistical support, air cover and satellite intelligence. One of the pilots, Oleg Peshkov, had been wounded and then killed by rebels after parachuting from the plane, while the other one, Konstantin Murahtin, escaped and was rescued. During the rescue mission a Russian Marine, Alexandr Pozynich, had been fatally wounded. The rescue team returned to base safely and handed over the pilot to the Syrian Army. Vladimir Putin was reportedly closely following the operation.[82][83] The body of the dead pilot was flown to Turkey and Russian officials in Ankara arranged for its repatriation to Moscow.[84][85]
On 25 November, the foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey spoke for an hour by telephone, and both governments stated that day that they would not initiate a war as a result of the incident. Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov told journalists that his country would "seriously reevaluate" its relationship with Turkey.[86][87][88] The
Russian Defence Ministry broke off military contacts with the
Turkish Armed Forces and Russian defence officials said that future airstrikes in Syria would be escorted by fighters.[89] According to the Russian Minister of Defence
Sergey Shoygu, Russia will deploy
S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to Khmeimim airbase in Syria, where the Russian Aerospace Forces group is stationed.[90]
Reactions
Involved parties
A few hours after the incident,
Russian PresidentVladimir Putin spoke from
Sochi, where he was meeting with
KingAbdullah II of Jordan, saying that it was a "stab in the back by terrorist accomplices,"[51][91] that Russia would not put up with attacks like this one[45] and that
Russia–Turkey relations would be affected. Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov was due to visit Turkey the next day, and Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had scheduled a visit to Russia later in the year.[92][93][94] Lavrov cancelled his trip after the incident.[89] Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoi said that forces threatening Russia would be targeted.[citation needed] Protesters pelted the Turkish embassy in Russia with eggs before police cleared the area.[95] On 26 November, Prime Minister
Dmitry Medvedev announced broad economic sanctions against Turkey that would affect their joint investment projects,[96] including the possible shelving of a multibillion-dollar deal to build
Turkish Streamgas pipeline through Turkey.[97] Chechen leader
Ramzan Kadyrov said that Turkey would regret its actions.[98] Putin accused Turkey of helping
ISIL in the illegal oil trade, saying that funds from the sale of oil were used to support terrorists.[99] The Russian Air Force had recently started bombing the oil tankers en route to other countries, including Turkey, and the infrastructure for processing and storage of crude oil.[100][101] Putin later claimed that the Turkish shoot-down was an "ambush" that had been prepared in advance.[102] A bill making denial of the
Armenian genocide illegal has been introduced in the Russian
State Duma.[103]
Syrian Information Minister
Omran al-Zoubi said the shooting would be added to the criminal record of insurgent groups fighting in the country and of those countries that were financing and arming them; he mentioned Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar as the strongest such backers.[104]
Erdoğan pointed out that Turkey had the right to defend its airspace. He said worse incidents have not taken place in the past because of Turkey's restraint. He also stressed that Turkey's actions were fully in line with the new rules of engagement adopted after Syria shot down a Turkish jet in 2012.[8] Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu offered condolences and said the Turkish pilots did not know it was a Russian plane.[105] Turkish Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu defended the action saying Turkey has the right to defend itself against border violations, but that it did not amount to an aggression against any foreign territory and the country called for
NATO to hold an extraordinary meeting later in the day.[106] He further called for working towards solving the crisis in Syria.[104] Davutoğlu also said that attacks on Turkmen could not be legitimised under the justification of attacking ISIL.[86] Turkey's Ambassador to the United States, Serdar Kilic, asked for Turkey's warnings to be taken seriously.[107] Davutoglu said Turkey would cooperate but did not offer an apology.[citation needed] Dozens of protesters were reported outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul demonstrating against Russian military operations in the Turkmen-populated areas of Syria.[104] Russian President Putin issued a decree within hours of Turkey's statement which placed a ban on trade of some goods, forbade extensions of labour contracts for Turks working in Russia as of 1 January 2016, ended chartered flights from Russia to Turkey, disallowed Russian tourism companies from selling holiday packages with a stay in Turkey, and called for ending visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey, while ordering tighter control over Turkish air carriers in Russia, using security as a justification.[108]
Russia started bombarding rebels – including Turkmen insurgents – in Latakia, ignoring demands made by Turkey over the previous week to end its military operations close to the Turkish border.[109] A Turkmen commander said missiles fired from Russian warships in the Mediterranean were also hitting the area.[110] Russian Defence Ministry spokesman
Igor Konashenkov said that as soon as the pilot was rescued the groups responsible for the attack had been killed by Russian bombing and Syrian government rocket artillery.[citation needed] A Turkish supply convoy, reportedly carrying small arms, machine-guns and ammunition, was bombed by what is believed to have been Russian airstrikes in the northwestern town of
Azaz, in north-western Syria. Claimed as an aid convoy by the Turks, no organization has as yet confirmed that the convoy belonged to them. At least seven people died and ten people were injured as around 20 trucks went up in flames.[citation needed] Turkish state-run
Anadolu Agency accused Russia of supporting the
KurdishYPG,
PYD and
Syrian Democratic Forces.[111]
On 25 November – the day after the jet was shot down, a Russian lawmaker,
Sergei Mironov, introduced a
bill to the
Russian parliament that would criminalize the denial of the
Armenian genocide,[112] a political move that Turkey has strongly opposed when countries like France and Greece adopted similar laws.[113]
On 26 November, the Russian Ministry of Defence broke off contact with the Turkish military. All existing channels of communication between the two sides have been shut down, the ministry said.[116]
On 27 November, Russia announced that it had also suspended its participation in joint Black Sea naval drills indefinitely. The Russian navy's envoy in charge of coordinating the actions of Russia's Black Sea Fleet with the Turkish navy has reportedly been recalled.[116] On 27 November, Russian Foreign minister
Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow will halt the existing visa-free regime starting on 1 January, saying that Turkey has become a conduit for terrorists and has been reluctant to share information with Moscow about Russian citizens accused of involvement in terrorist activities.[117] On 28 November, Russian President
Vladimir Putin signed a decree imposing economic sanctions against Turkey. The decree, which came into force immediately, banned charter flights from Russia to Turkey, prevented tour firms selling holidays there, and outlawed some Turkish imports, and halted or curbed the economic activities of Turkish firms and nationals.[118] On 2 December, Russian Deputy Defence Minister
Anatoly Antonov said in a media briefing with foreign journalists that Turkey was the biggest buyer of "stolen" oil from Syria and Iraq and accused the family of Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being directly involved in the trade of petroleum with the Islamic State group.[119] On 3 December, Putin referred to the incident during his annual state of the nation speech.[120]
At his annual press conference on 17 December 2015, when asked about a third-party involvement in the current Russian-Turkish relations deteriorated by the shootdown of Russian Su-24, Vladimir Putin remarked "…if someone in the Turkish government decided to lick the Americans in a certain place, well I don't know then, was that the right decision or not?".[121]
On 27 December, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet published an interview with Alparslan Çelik who spoke about the downing.
TASS reported that the Turkish militant had fought in Syria for two years. The Russian foreign ministry expressed surprise and indignation that a major Turkish newspaper had given floor to the "murderer and terrorist... filled with hatred towards Russia and the Russian people." On 30 December, the Russian foreign ministry called for Ankara to arrest Çelik.[123][124]
In June 2016, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a letter, on the recommendation of
Farkhad Akhmedov[125] to Russian President
Vladimir Putin expressing sympathy and 'deep condolences' to the family of the victims. An investigation was also reopened into the suspected Turkish military personnel involved in the incident.[126] Russian media interpreted the contents of the letter as an apology for downed aircraft.[127] Three weeks later (in the meantime, there had been a
coup d'état attempt against him), Erdoğan announced in an interview that the two Turkish pilots who downed Russian aircraft were arrested on suspicion that they have links to the
Gülen movement, and that a court should find out "the truth".[128] By doing so, Turkish government aimed to cast aspirations to the movement, a conspiracy theory implying that the organization was behind the all troubles Turkey was facing.[129]
Armenia: Defence Minister
Seyran Ohanian said it was a blow to efforts to fight terrorism.[133]
Australia: Foreign Minister
Julie Bishop said that it was important the incident did not lead to an escalation of conflict "in a highly charged regional situation."[134]
Azerbaijan: President
Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan was ready to make efforts to reduce and eliminate tension in Turkish-Russian relations.[135]
Cyprus: The office of President
Nicos Anastasiades stated that the shootdown would undermine efforts to fight terrorism.[136]
Czech Republic: President
Miloš Zeman said Turkey's attack on the jet again fuels previously-raised suspicions that Ankara is supporting the terrorists in Syria.[citation needed] Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka and Foreign Minister
Lubomír Zaorálek called for better co-ordination among those fighting in the region.[104]
France: President
François Hollande called the plane incident "a serious one" and said that Turkey is providing information to NATO to investigate the circumstances. He also called for the prevention of any escalation of the situation.[107]
Georgia:
Defence MinisterTinatin Khidasheli said that Turkey has every right to respond to airspace violations by Russia. She said that Russia had deliberately violated the airspace of NATO and EU member states in recent months, despite repeated warnings. She also noted that Turkey is an important and respected partner and player in today's world.[137]
Germany:
ChancellorAngela Merkel said that countries have the right to defend their airspace, but the event took place against a context of tension, and that she had spoken to the Turkish prime minister in an effort to promote calm.[138] German Vice-Chancellor
Sigmar Gabriel called Turkish actions unpredictable.[139] Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for "prudence and common sense" in response to the incident and that
Syria peace talks in Vienna should not be derailed.[140]
Iran:
President Rouhani said the governments of Russia and Turkey should investigate the circumstances and avoid repetition.[citation needed]Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister, said the recent escalation of tensions between the two nations over Turkey's downing of a Russian jet can be settled through mutual discretion and prudence.[citation needed] General
Yahya Rahim Safavi, a revolutionary guards adviser to the
Supreme Leader of Iran, said Turkey had committed a "tactical mistake".[citation needed]
Iraq: Vice President
Nouri al-Maliki accused Turkey of hypocrisy, saying that "Turkey's planes violate Iraqi and Syrian airspace every day".[142]
Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry urged both countries to show restraint.[143] President Nazarbayev said that the plane was in a war against terrorists.[144]
Latvia: Minister of Defence
Raimonds Bergmanis told
LNT that NATO allies are united with Turkey, who had the right to protect its airspace. He added that there is much evidence regarding breaches of Turkish airspace carried out by Russian military aircraft.[145]
Lithuania: Foreign Minister
Linas Linkevicius supported Turkey's right to defend itself.[146]
Pakistan: A few days later, the
Foreign Office expressed concerns about the ongoing tensions between Turkey and Russia and recommended that the two countries should negotiate.[147]
Serbia: President
Tomislav Nikolić said that the incident was the fault of Turkey and that Turkey often violated Greek and Syrian airspace adding that "now one can hardly expect aid from Turkey in the fight against terrorism".[148]
Ukraine: National Security and Defence Council Secretary
Oleksandr Turchynov said that the Turkish Air Force acted professionally as any civilised country should operate when its sovereign space is violated by another state's warplane. He added that Ukraine should shoot down Russian jets if they violate Ukraine's airspace too.[149][150]
United Kingdom:
Foreign SecretaryPhilip Hammond said the incident was potentially serious but also said that Turkey was an important ally of the United Kingdom and European Union. When asked by opposition Labour MP
Dennis Skinner whether Turkey could still be considered an ally, Hammond said that Turkey is an important NATO ally in the context of the fight against ISIL and the migration crisis.[151][152]
United States: President
Barack Obama assured his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in a phone call, of support for his country's right to defend its sovereignty and that it was important to find out exactly what had happened and to prevent escalation.[89]Department of State Spokesperson
Mark Toner stated that Syrian Turkmen under attack have the right to self-defence.[153] The United States announced a list of new
economic sanctions on Russian and Syrian individuals and companies.[154]
^On 15 October, Turkish jets shot down a drone operating in Turkish airspace.[26][27][28][29][30] United States defence officials said that the drone was Russian; Russian officials denied that any of their aircraft had been shot down.[26][27][28][29][30] On 17 October, Turkish Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey would shoot down any aircraft violating its airspace.[31]
^H.E. Mr. Matthew Ryeroft (24 November 2015).
"Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations, Ambassador 2015/10165510". UN. Disregarding these warnings, both aircraft, at an altitude of 19,000 feet [5,800 m], violated Turkish national airspace to a depth of 1.36 miles [2.52 km] and 1.15 miles [2.13 km] in length for 17 seconds from 0.24'.05 local time.