The Turks shot down a Russian plane, the pilot was killed. VIDEO

On the morning of November 24, a Russian Su-24 was shot down by the Turkish military air forces on the Syrian-Turkish border. Pilots of a bomber who participates in Russian operations in Syria, have ejected and, apparently, were attacked by Syrian rebels.

The Russian General Staff has so far confirmed the death of one of the pilots. According to preliminary data, as stated in the General Staff, a Russian soldier "died in the air from a fire from the ground."

Earlier, Syrian rebels claimed that both pilots were killed, writes Medusa. And CNN Turk, citing local sources transmitsthat one of the pilots shot down in Syria by a Russian Su-24 was killed.

Reaction of both sides

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the collapse of the Russian Su-24 on the Syrian-Turkish border "a blow to the backs of the accomplices of the terrorists."

According to Putin, Turkey had no reason to shoot down the Russian bomber. He stated this at a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan.

“This event goes beyond the usual fight against terrorism. Of course, our military lead a heroic struggle against terror, not sparing their lives. But today's loss is connected with the blow that the accomplices of the terrorists inflicted on us in the back, otherwise I cannot qualify what happened, ”Putin said.

Official statements about the incident with the Russian aircraft in Turkey are rather stingy. Turkish authorities continue to declare that the ownership of the aircraft that violated the airspace of the country has not been established. Only one unofficial report, citing an unnamed government source, claims that the plane is Russian.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense reports that an unknown intruder received ten warnings within five minutes.

Turkish President Erdogan gathers an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Armed Forces and other officials.

with the BBC transmitsthat the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned diplomats from Russia, the USA, France, China and the UK to discuss the current situation. It is worth recalling that Turkey is a member of NATO.

In these shots it is clear that both pilots of the Russian bomber ejected. Photo: Twitter screenshot

Obama: Turkey’s right

US President Barack Obama said that Turkey has the right to protect its territory and airspace, reports Reuters.

According to the American president, it is necessary to take measures to avoid any escalation in connection with the crash of the Su-24 in the area of ​​the Turkish-Syrian border.

“I think it’s very important now that Russia and Turkey talk to each other and find out exactly what happened and take measures to prevent further escalation,” Obama said at a press conference following talks with French President Francois Hollande. “Turkey, like any other country, has the right to protect its territory and airspace.”

The incident with the Russian bomber, according to Obama, indicates the continuing problems with the conduct of the Russian military operation in the area of ​​the Turkish border.

Reaction of social networks

In Turkish social networks, a map of southern Turkey circulates near the Mediterranean coast, near the city of Hatay, where Turkish territory acts as a narrow corridor to the south. It was here, according to the route marked on the map, that a violation of the country's airspace occurred: the plane crossed this corridor.

The reaction in Turkish social networks, as it usually happens in Turkey, has become polarized: opponents of the current government accuse the authorities of indiscretion and stupidity, supporters of the authorities support tough measures and accuse opponents of betrayal.

“What a stupid decision: now the world's second nuclear power is against us, from which we get all our electricity and gas,” writes one of the Twitter users.

“Only now we didn’t have enough - to turn Russia against us,” the other agrees with him.

“We have shown that we are no less strong than the Five,” writes a patriotic social network user, referring to the five members of the UN Security Council.

“If Russia starts a war, NATO will come out on our side,” suggests another Turk on Twitter.

“I hear here, the war began with Russia. I, perhaps, will run away, ”sums up a more skeptical user of the Turkish social network.

"Russia claims that the plane was shot down over Syrian territory, and this creates a more serious situation," says one of the bloggers.

A Turk working in an energy company writes: "I hope that Lavrov will not cancel his visit." Others notice that the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister, scheduled for November 25, has already been canceled, writes Air force.

Protests

Single pickets are held at the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, Turkish special forces surrounded the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

A protest action against the operation of the Russian air force in the Turkmen territory of Syria began at the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

Russian planes first violated Turkish airspace in early October, just a few days after Russia began bombing targets in Syria.

The United States and NATO publicly warned Russia that it was extremely dangerous: Turkey is a member of NATO, which means that the United States and European powers are at least theoretically obliged to protect it from attack.

But there was every reason to expect that Russia will continue to violate the airspace of Turkey, partly because Russia has already done this for several months against other NATO allies: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in north-eastern Europe.

Such flights of Russian aviation began after Russia secretly invaded eastern Ukraine and annexed the Crimea.