PHOTO: The Turkish military’s map of Tuesday’s downing of a Russian warplane


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    Audio Analysis: Putin’s Anti-Turkey Strategy After Russian Jet Downed


    UPDATE 1540 GMT: The rescued navigator of the downed Russian Su-24 strike aircraft, Konstantin Murakhtin, has spoken to Moscow’s outlets.

    He insisted that the jet had never entered Turkish airspace:

    No, that’s impossible, not even for a second, especially since were were flying at an altitude of 6,000 meters, the weather was clear, as we say in our slang, a million on a million. Our entire flight until the moment the rocket hit was fully under my control. I could see very well both on the map and on the ground, where the border was and where we were.

    We carried out military flights there several times, we know it like the back of our hand. We carried out military missions and returned on the return route to the airbase. As a navigator I know every hill. I can orientate myself even without instrumentation.

    Murakhtin also denied Turkey’s claim of 10 warnings in five minutes to the two Russian Su-24s that were on the mission:

    There were no warnings at all. Neither over the radio traffic or visually. There was no contact at all. Therefore we went out on our combat course in the normal way. You have to understand what speed a bomber is going at and what that of an F-16 fighter is. If they had wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves, taken a parallel course. But there was nothing like that. And the rocket hit the tail of our plane suddenly. We didn’t even notice it visually, so that we could have made an anti-missile maneuver.


    UPDATE 1430 GMT: Russia has resumed airstrikes near the Turkish border, including in the area of the Syrian ground offensive in northern Latakia Province — this footage is of attacks on the Jabal Akrad mountains:

    In northwestern Aleppo Province, near the Turkish border, a strike on trucks near Azaz and the Bab al-Salama crossing:

    Reports, including claims about the Turkish aid organization IHH, including that the trucks set on fire were carrying assistance.

    Footage of Russian warplanes on a bombing raid between Rifaat and Hreitan in northern Aleppo Province:


    UPDATE 1300 GMT: Russia will move S-400 air defense systems to its airbase in western Syria, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.

    Shoigu said the decision was made by President Putin in response to Tuesday’s downing of a Russian strike aircraft by Turkish jets on the Turkish-Syrian border.

    The Russian General Staff had said on Tuesday that it is moving a cruiser with guided missiles, equivalent to the S-300 system, to the eastern Mediterranean.


    UPDATE 1250 GMT: The second pilot from the downed Russian Su-24 warplane, whose fate was unknown after Tuesday’s incident, has been rescued by a commando unit, according to high-level Russian and Syrian officials.

    Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian news agencies that the pilot was rescued in a 12-hour operation which ended early Wednesday and is now “safe and sound” at Russia’s airbase in Latakia Province in western Syria.

    President Vladimir Putin also confirmed the pilot was rescued.

    The Syrian army said Syrian and Russian forces went 4.5 km (2.8 miles) into rebel-held territory for the rescue, saying the pilot is in “good health”.

    Both pilots were filmed parachuting to the ground after ejecting from their stricken jet. The body of one was later shown on video, surrounded by Turkmen rebels.


    UPDATE 1230 GMT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Turkey of deliberately targeting Russian warplanes, shooting one of them down on Tuesday.

    Speaking after a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Lavrov said, “Judging by everything, the action was deliberate and pre-planned, and pursued a very definite purpose.”

    The Foreign Minister stepped back from confrontation but said Moscow will “seriously reassess and revise all that happens…in our relations” with the Turks.

    Soon after the Russian Su-24 strike aircraft was downed by two Turkish F-16 jets on Tuesday, Lavrov cancelled a planned trip to Ankara and warned Russians not to go to the country.

    He maintained that position on Wednesday:

    We have no plans so far to visit Turkey or receive our Turkish counterparts here.

    The Turkish Foreign Minister expressed hope that we will be able to sit down and discuss everything calmly on the sidelines of international events. I made no commitments, first of all, we should not discuss but understand all aspects of what has happened.

    Balancing Russia’s warning that it could restrict economic links with Turkey, Lavrov said:

    We’re not willing to artificially create problems for Turkish producers and exporters who do not bear responsibility for what has happened. We’re not willing to create additional problems for our companies, which cooperate with the Turkish side either. But we cannot leave what has happened unanswered.

    Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev warned on Wednesday that important joint projects could be cancelled and that Turkish firms could lose market share in Russia.

    Lavrov insisted that Cavusoglu had expressed Ankara’s regret for the incident but had done no more to satisfy Moscow:

    I have heard condolences from (Turkish Foreign) Minister Cavusoglu, but all the other statements were aimed at justifying the Turkish position….

    The Turkish minister has assured [me] of [Turkey’s] striving to preserve friendly relations but kept repeating that Turkey has the right to strike any airspace intruders.

    He repeated Moscow’s charges that Turkey was illegally purchasing oil from the Islamic State, as well as accusing Ankara of accepting “terrorist infrastructure, weapons and ammunitions caches, and control centers”, in the area where the jet was downed.

    “We are not planning to wage a war against Turkey, our attitude towards Turkish people has not changed. We have questions only to the Turkish leadership.”

    Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday, “We have no intention of escalating this incident. We are only defending our own security and the rights of our brothers.”

    Implicitly referring to Russian attacks on Turkmens in northwest Syria — which have caused civilian deaths and displacement and which Ankara had warned might provoke a military response — the President declared, “We will continue our humanitarian efforts on both sides of the border. We are determined to take all necessary measures to prevent a new wave of immigration.”


    ORIGINAL ENTRY: Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane on Tuesday morning, both Moscow and Ankara maneuvered to take advantage of the latest turn in the Syrian crisis.

    The Russian Su-24 crashed just inside the Turkish-Syrian border in Latakia Province in northwest Syria. One pilot was killed, with the other’s fate not confirmed.

    See Syria Audio Analysis: Putin’s Anti-Turkey Strategy After Russian Jet Downed
    Syria Developing: Turkey Downs Russian Warplane Near Border

    Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a harsh statement that Moscow was “stabbed in the back by the accomplices of terrorism”, but his words pointed to a political rather than a military response, trying to split off countries such as the US, France, and Britain from Ankara by declaring the Turks as illegitimate supporters of the Islamic State.

    Putin said Russian operations were directed against ISIS. However, the Defense Ministry implicitly acknowledged that there were no Islamic State forces in Latakia Province and that the Su-24s were attacking rebels in support of a Syrian military offensive: “The Syrian governmental troops are conducting operation on elimination of illegal armed groups, which include over 1000 militants from the North Caucasus.”

    Meanwhile, Moscow struck a series of tough poses. The Defense Ministry said a cruiser armed with guided missiles would be positioned off the Syrian coast “to destroy any target that may pose danger”. Fighter jets would now accompany all warplanes on bombing operations, while military contacts with Turkey would be suspended.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cancelled a visit to Ankara scheduled for Wednesday. He warned Russians not to travel to Turkey, “According to our estimations, the [terrorist] threat is no less than in Egypt.”

    Turkey went to NATO to get support, as Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said:

    Everyone must know that it is our international right and national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders.

    Turkey will not hesitate to take all steps to protect the country’s security.

    President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returned to Ankara’s proposal for a 98-km (61-mile) “protected area” in northern Syria’s Aleppo Province along the Turkish border. The plan, put forth since the summer, has been hindered by US refusals and Turkey’s animosity with Kurds who control much of northeast Syria.

    Erdoğan echoed Davutoglu’s statement over the shootdown of the Russian warplane:

    The reason why worse incidents have not taken place in the past regarding Syria is the cool-headedness of Turkey. Nobody should doubt that we made our best efforts to avoid this latest incident. But everyone should respect the right of Turkey to defend its borders.

    NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave the reassurance, “We stand in solidarity with Turkey and support the territorial integrity of our NATO ally,” while calling on both sides to show restraint.

    Russian Ambassador Alexander Gruskho complained about the statement, “Today’s meeting of the NATO Council could have become the moment of truth for the Alliance, as one of its key allies shot down a Russian plane taking part in an international effort to fight terrorism. However, the moment of truth failed to happen.”

    US President Barack Obama said he did not have enough information to form conclusions about the incident. However, he used it to press Moscow to stop attacks on Syrian rebels and focus on the Islamic State:

    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.

    More than 80% of Russian sorties since the start of their bombing on September 30 have been carried out against opposition-held territory.

    Competing Narratives over Shootdown

    Turkey and Russia battled with different versions of what had happened to the Su-24 strike aircraft that was shot down by two Turkish F-16 fighters.

    Ankara said two SU-24s crossed over a small part of Turkey jutting into Syria’s Latakia Province, which Russian warplanes have been attacking in support of the Syrian military’s ground offensive against rebels. The Turkish military said 10 warnings were issued in 5 minutes to the aircraft not to violate Ankara’s airspace.

    A Turkish submission to the UN said the jets were 1.36 miles deep inside Turkey for 17 seconds. One Su-24 made it across the border as the second was hit.

    The Turkish military released audio of its warnings, in English, to the Russian jets:

    Putin said the downed Su-24 was hit four kilometers inside Syria by an air-to-air missile, Our pilots and our plane did not in any way threaten Turkey.”

    Russia rejected an international enquiry into the incident. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, “”I believe that what was said authoritatively, in detail and with concrete facts at a briefing at the Defense Ministry shows that our military have established the circumstances that led to the hitting of our plane.”

    The jet crashed near the village of Yamadi in an area with a large Turkmen population, a group with ethnic and cultural ties with Turkey. Ankara had warned the Russians last week to stop attacks which were killing Turkmen civilians and forcing them to flee their homes.

    The Su-24’s two pilots were filmed parachuting to the ground. Video of the body of one was posted as he was surrounded by Turkmen fighters.

    The fate of the second pilot is still unknown, with competing claims that he was killed, captured by rebels, or rescued by the Syrian Army.

    A Turkmen military commander claimed both pilots were shot as they descended. Video showed firing at the parachuting men, but they appeared to be too distant to be hit by gunfire.

    Rebels Hit Russian Helicopter, Kill Soldier

    In a subsequent incident, rebels hit a Russian Mi-8 helicopter as Moscow’s forces pursued a search-and-rescue mission for the pilots. One Russian soldier was reportedly killed.

    The helicopter was struck by an anti-tank missile after it landed on a hill after it was damaged by gunshots.


    US Sanctions 4 Individuals, 6 Companies For Support of Assad

    The US has added four individuals and six entities to its sanctions blacklist for support of the Assad regime.

    Prominent Syrian businessman George Haswani has been designated for alleged service “as a middleman for oil purchases by the Syrian regime” from the Islamic State.

    The Russian Financial Alliance Bank and two individuals linked to it — including Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the currently the chairman of the World Chess Federation and the former President of the Russian region of Kalmykia, and bank head Mudalal Khuri — are listed.


    Kafranbel Message to Putin: “Your Troops Will Be Killed by Tears of Syrian Mothers”

    The protesters of Kafranbel in northwest Syria put out a message after the downing of the Russian warplane:

    KAFRANBEL RUSSIA SHOOTDOWN