What we know so far: Turkey shoots down a Russian jet

Nov. 24, 2015 8:59 AM PT

Turkey, a member of NATO, shot down a Russian fighter plane on Tuesday, creating a new diplomatic crisis over the civil war in Syria. The incident follows numerous complaints by Turkey that Russia, flying combat missions in neighboring Syria, has strayed toward Turkish airspace. Here is a summary of where things stand:

What does Turkey say happened?

Turkey said a Russian SU-24 fighter jet ignored several warnings that it was nearing, then entering Turkish airspace near the border with Syria, where Russia has been launching airstrikes. The incident took place in the province of Hatay at about 9.20 a.m. in an area known by Turks as Turkmen Mountain.

The military says the plane was warned 10 times in five minutes before it was shot down. Turkey published radar images it says show the plane briefly flying over its southern territory.

Separate footage from Turkey’s Anadolu Agency showed two pilots parachuting out of the jet before it crashed. A deputy commander of rebel Turkmen forces in Syria said his men shot both pilots dead as they came down.

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What does Russia say happened?

Russia insists its craft never went closer than a kilometer, about 0.62 miles, from the Turkish side. The Russian plane was supporting Syrian troops who have been on the offensive in an area controlled by several insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, and Turkmen militias.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plane came down about four kilometers from the border, never crossed into Turkish airspace and never posed a threat to Turkey.

What do leaders say?

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu insisted his country has the right to take “all kinds of measures” against border violations, and called on the international community to work toward “extinguishing the fire that is burning in Syria.”

Turkey summoned Russia’s envoy to Turkey to explain the incident. A Turkish official told reporters afterward: “This isn’t an action against any specific country: Our F-16s took necessary steps to defend Turkey’s sovereign territory.”

Putin accused Turkey of siding with Islamic State militants and called the action a “stab in the back by the terrorists’ accomplices.”

“We will never tolerate such atrocities as happened today, and we hope that the international community will find the strength to join forces and fight this evil,” Putin said.

He warned of “significant consequences.”

What is the diplomatic fallout?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov canceled a visit to Turkey that had been planned for Wednesday.

At Turkey’s request, NATO’s governing body called an emergency meeting.

Why is the incident so important?

With NATO and Russia both flying missions over Syria, the possibility of a confrontation in the air has always been a concern..

The situation is also complicated because the players have different goals. The United States wants a political solution to the war in Syria that includes the departure of President Bashar Assad, while Russia is supporting its long-time ally. Both Russia and the West want to stop Islamic State from spreading geographically and staging terror attacks.

How has the West coped with the complicated air space?

The U.S. European Command on Nov. 6 deployed six U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters from their base in Britain to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to help Turkey after reported Russian crossings into Turkish airspace.

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