Putin Takes His Revenge: Russia Unleashes Heavy Bombardment on Region Held by Turkmen Rebels who Chanted ‘Allahu Akbar’ Over the Dead Body of Pilot Shot Down by Turkish F-16
- Russia has retaliated against rebel forces who 'shot and killed' one of the pilots of the jet downed by Turkey
- One of the two pilots of jet downed by Turkey rescued in 12-hour operation and taken to Russian base
- Pilot, identified as Cpt Konstantin Murahtin, and fallen co-pilot, Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov to be given state honours
- Audio recording of warnings sent out by Turkey on open channels and confirmed by U.S. military released
- Putin called the incident a 'stab in the back by accomplices of terrorists' and accused Turkey of supporting ISIS
- NATO chief called for 'diplomacy and de-escalation' after emergency meeting of member nations on Tuesday
Daily Mail UK, 25 November 2015
This is the recording of the Turkish army warning a Russian military jet that it was violating its airspace before shooting it down. A voice can be heard telling the Russian pilots that they are approaching Turkish airspace, telling them to change their course immediately.
The warnings sent to the Russian pilots from Turkey were broadcast in English and on open channels and later confirmed by U.S. military stationed in Baghdad. The recording has emerged as Moscow reports that one of the two pilots, who both parachuted from the flaming wreckage of the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter as it went down near the Syrian border, survived.
Russian forces launched at least a dozen airstrikes against insurgent-held areas near the Turkey-Syria border where the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter jet was shot down by the Turkish army yesterday.
Heavy bombardment hit areas controlled by Turkmen rebels, the group claiming to have shot and killed one of the pilots of the Russian jet as he parachuted out of the flaming wreckage, and attempted to kill his co-pilot.
The rebel group released a video showing them cheering and chanting 'Allahu Akbar' as they discovered the body of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, who will now receive Russia's highest state honour posthumously.
President Vladimir Putin today confirmed that the surviving pilot, identified as Captain Konstantin Murahtin, had been rescued by Russian military in a 12-hour long joint operation with Syrian government forces, and taken to a Russian air base.
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Retaliation: At least 12 Russian air strikes hit Turkoman Mountains in Latakia's northern countryside, the rebel-controlled area where the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter jet was shot down by the Turkish army yesterday
Honoured: This image, released by Turkmen rebels, claims to show the body of one of the Russian pilots, today identified as Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, allegedly shot and killed as he parachuted from the flaming jet
Alive and well: One of the two Russian pilots of the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter shot down by Turkey near the Syrian border, identified as Captain Konstantin Murahtin, has been rescued in a 12-hour operation, and taken to a Russian air base
At least 12 air strikes hit Latakia's northern countryside as pro-government forces clashed with fighters from al Qaeda's Nusra Front and Turkmen insurgents in the Jabal Akrad and Jabal Turkman areas, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
A commander of the Turkmen, ethnic Turks who are Syrian citizens, said missiles fired from Russian warships in the Mediterranean were also hitting the area, as well as heavy artillery shelling.
Hassan Haj Ali, the head of Liwa Suqour al-Jabal, a rebel group operating in western Syria, also said there were fierce battles in the area, with Russian aircraft supporting pro-government forces.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov branded the downing of the jet a 'planned provocation' by Ankara, but that Russia has 'no intention to go to war with Turkey.'
Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow will re-consider relations with Ankara following the shooting down of the plane on the Turkey-Syria border on Tuesday, but he didn't say what specific measures Russia would take.
'We have serious doubts about this being an unpremeditated act, it really looks like a planned provocation,' Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.
Awards: Russian President Vladimir Putin, pictured today aduring a visit to the UralVagonZavod factory in Nizhny Tagil in the Ural mountains, has announced that the two pilots and the men involved in rescuing Cpt Murahtin will be given state honours
Lethal foe: Smoke rising from the Turkoman Mountains, the area in Latakia, Syria controlled by Turkmen rebels, the group claiming to have shot and killed one of the pilots of the Russian jet
Clashes: It is believed that the surviving Russian pilot, Captain Konstantin Murahtin, was captured by rebel forces in the area, and then rescued in the 12-hour joint operation which ended this morning
'We have no intention to go to war with Turkey. Our attitude to the Turkish people hasn't changed, we only have questions about the Turkish leadership.
'He also accused the Turkish government of supporting ISIS, saying that Russia had been made away of the terrorist group trading human organs on black markets in Turkey.
He told the press conference: 'We have received information that in certain areas of Turkey, where terrorists feel at home, there is even an established market for human organs which are smuggled by terrorists from Syria, and those are body parts of the murdered Syrians.'
He added that 'terrorists' have used Turkish territory to prepare attacks in other countries, but did not name specific groups or attacks.
Lavrov further accused Turkey of violating Greek air space 'some 1,500 times a year',adding that on the background of this, he did not see how Turkey could justify shooting down a Russian plane after what he claimed whats 'just 17 seconds of violation' of Turkish airspace.
As Putin confirmed that Cpt. Murahtin was 'saved', he announced that 'he and the other participants... including in the rescue operation will be awarded state honours.'
The plane's other pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, who was reportedly killed by rebel forces as he parachuted to safety, will posthumously be given Russia's highest award for valour, the Hero of Russia medal, Putin said.
'For heroism, courage and bravery shown during the fulfilment of his military duties, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov has been awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously),' a presidential decree released by the Kremlin press service reads.
'Furthermore, for their courage, bravery, and selflessness in carrying out their military duties, Su-24 co-pilot Captain Konstantin Murahtin, who made it back to friendly territory following a successful search and rescue operation, and Naval Infantry Soldier Alexandr Pozynich, who was killed during the course of a rescue operation, were awarded the Order of Courage, Pozynich posthumously. '
Hatred: Protesters hold placards and shout slogans as they take part in an anti-Turkey picket outside the Turkish embassy in Moscow
Protests: Russian policemen detain demonstrators outside the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, Russia, the day after the downing of the jet
Anger: Some protesters could be seen throwing eggs at the embassy, while others were holding placards reading 'Erdogan is a killer'
A policeman walks past the Turkish Embassy with broken window planes in Moscow, after a protest there went sour
Putin's statement came after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies that Mr Akhmadulin is now 'safe and sound' at the air base.
'The operation ended successfully. The second pilot has been brought to our base. He is alive and well,' Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
'I would like to thank all our guys who worked at great risk all night and finished this job at around 3.40am (00.40am GMT),' Shoigu said in televised comments.
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow's ambassador to France Alexander Orlov said one of the pilots was wounded, then killed on the ground by 'jihadists' after landing with his parachute.
He also denied Turkish government statements that the Russian plane was warned repeatedly about an air space violation, despite an audio recording of the warnings emerging on Wednesday.
A male voice, believed to be that of one of the Turkish F16 pilots, can be heard telling the Russians that they are approaching Turkish airspace, ordering them to change their course immediately.
The warnings sent to the Russian pilots from Turkey were broadcast in English and on open channels and later confirmed by U.S. military stationed in Baghdad.
'Turkish air force speaking. You are approaching Turkish air space. Change your heading south immediately.'
Although only one warning can be heard on the recording, the Turkish army said yesterday that the pilots of the Russian jet had been warned 'ten times in the space of five minutes' before the plane was shot down.
Turkish officials said the Russian plane was first warned that it was within ten miles of the Turkish border, and the aircraft then crossed over Turkish territory, adding that a second plane had also approached the border and been warned.
'The data we have is very clear. There were two planes approaching our border, we warned them as they were getting too close,' a senior Turkish official said.
Suspicious: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had 'serious doubts' that the downing of the Russian jet was an accident, adding that 'it really looks like a planned provocation'
'We warned them to avoid entering Turkish airspace before they did, and we warned them many times. Our findings show clearly that Turkish airspace was violated multiple times. And they violated it knowingly,' the official said.
A Turkish military statement said the plane entered Turkish airspace over the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province at 9.20am Tuesday, and was later shot down, crashing in the Turkomen Mountains area in the Syrian province of Latakia.
This statement was later been backed up by a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S. military.
'We were able to hear everything that was going on, these (communications) were on open channels,' Colonel Steve Warren said, confirming that ten warnings were issued by Turkish pilots without response.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Turkey did not want any escalation with Russia over its downing of a Russian plane on the Syrian frontier but vowed to always defend Turkish borders.
'We have no intention to escalate this incident. We are just defending our security and the rights of our brothers[Turkmens in Syria],' Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul, adding that no one should expect Turkey 'to remain silent' when its border security was violated.
Speaking at a business event in Istanbul, Erdogan said the Russian jet had been fired at while in Turkish airspace but had crashed inside Syria, although he said parts of it landed in Turkey and injured two Turkish citizens.
'We will continue our humanitarian efforts on both sides of the (Syrian) border. We are determined to take all necessary measures to prevent a new wave of immigration.'
Turkey has been angered by Russian air strikes in Syria targeting Turkmens near its border, who are Syrians of Turkish descent. It had repeatedly warned Russia over airspace violations since October and last week summoned the Russian ambassador to protest against the bombing of Turkmen villages.
Putin has said Russian planes had in no way threatened Turkey, but had merely been carrying out their duty to fight Islamic State militants inside Syria.
Erdogan dismissed that version of events.
'It has been said that they were there to fight Daesh,' he said of Russian air strikes, and using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
'First of all, the Daesh terrorist organisation does not have a presence in this region of Latakia and the north where Turkmens are based. Let's not fool ourselves.'
He said Turkey had made a 'huge effort' to prevent an incident like the downing of the Russian aircraft, but that the limits of its patience had been tested.
Yesterday, Putin branded the shooting down of the aircraft a 'stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists', warning:
'The tragic event will have serious consequences for Russian-Turkish relations.'
Warned: A male voice can be heard warning the Russian pilots - in English - that they are approaching Turkish airspace, telling them to change their course immediately
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov scrapped a planned visit to Turkey Wednesday, and warned Russians against travelling to Turkey.
In an obvious attempt to cause maximum damage to Turkey's tourist industry, a vital part of the country's economy, he said the risk of attacks 'is no less of a threat than in Egypt.'
This refers to the ISIS terrorist attack last month when all 224 people onboard a Russian passenger jet - a majority of them tourists heading home after a holiday in the popular resort Sharm el Sheikh.
Russia's Moskva guided missile cruiser will now be stationed near Latakia, on Syria's Mediterranean border, and all bombers in Syria will now be escorted by fighters, Russian military spokesman General Sergei Rudskoi.
General Rudskoi added that the shooting down would have the 'the gravest consequences', and warned that 'all targets representing a potential threat to us will be destroyed,' he warned.
This statement was backed up on Wednesday by defence minister Shoigu, who revealed Russia is deploying its most hi-tech air defence system to its airbase in Syria
'The S-400 anti-aircraft missile system will be deployed to the Hmeimim airbase,' said Shoigu.
Moscow is also beefing up the number of fighter jets deployed in Syria.
Shoigu personally travelled to Egypt for talks with the Cairo government, leading to a commitment for joint military and anti-terrorism exercises between the two countries.
Flight: This map shows the route of the Russian jet (shown in red), based on data released by the Turkish army, including where it violated Turkish airspace, and the area in the Turkomen Mountains where it crashed
'We know well how acute the problem of terrorism is for Egypt. It is alarming that the ISIS affiliate so-called Wilayat Sinai - on whose hands is the blood of hundreds of innocent people, including our compatriots who died in the air disaster - has been operating for a year now,' said Shoigu.
'We are ready to work together closely to fight this evil.'
Attacking the West, he said: 'The Arab Spring left a mass of unresolved problems.'
It 'gave rise to ISIS, which has become stronger and is seeking to seize new territories outside Syria and Iraq so as to set up its own caliphate there.'
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance stood by member Turkey after the incident, but echoed appeals for calm from other world leaders as fears grow of clashes between coalition and Russian planes in the skies over Syria.
'We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally, Turkey,' Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting of all 28 members requested by Ankara.
'Diplomacy and de-escalation are important to resolve this situation,' added.
His sentiment was echoed by the President of the United States, who placed partial blame on both parties for the incident.
President Barack Obama said that although the U.S. believes Russia's incursion into Turkish airspace likely lasted only a matter of seconds before Turkey shot down the warplane, he laid blame with Putin's insistence on targeting moderate groups fighting the al-Assad regime instead of ISIS.
He said: 'I do think that this points to an ongoing problem with the Russian operations. In the sense that they are operating very close to a Turkish border, and they are going after moderate opposition that are supported by not only Turkey but a wide range of countries.'
He added such mistakes were less likely to occur if Russia directed its focus towards attacking ISIS.
World leaders are approaching the issue with caution and worry, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying the downing of a Russian warplane may have 'further aggravated the situation in Syria.'
Merkel told lawmakers in parliament on Wednesday that 'we have to do everything now to avoid a further escalation,' adding that she had spoken to Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a telephone call Tuesday.
She said that only a long-term political solution will end the conflict in Syria. She says 'there is no other way that will bring us closer to a lasting solution.
Alleged Audio of Turkish Military Warning to Russian Pilots