Russia has indisputable proof that the Turkish jet F-4 Phantom was shot down in the Syrian airspace, a Russian military source stated on Monday.
The Interfax news agency quoted a “military-diplomatic source” as saying that Russia possessed “objective data on the flight itinerary” of the Turkish F-4 Phantom which was downed by Syrian air defences on June 22.
“This data proves conclusively that the jet violated the Syrian airspace,” the source told Interfax.
“Russia has its interests in Syria” and is monitoring the situation through different channels, the source said, adding that the Russian Air and Space Defence Forces and the Navy had capabilities to obtain and analyse such information.
Turkey has admitted that the Phantom debris fell into Syrian waters but maintains that it was shot down in international airspace and without warning.
A U.S. intelligence official told the Wall Street Journal that the Syrians had shot down Turkish warplane shore-based anti-aircraft artillery, not by surface-to-air missiles, which means the jet was flying inside Syrian airspace.
Russia has offered to share the information on the downed warplane.
“We have our objective observation data and we are prepared to present it,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference following the Geneva international conference on Syria on Saturday.
Russian experts have suggested that the Turkish plane was on a reconnaissance mission and was shot down by the anti-aircraft guns of the Russian-built Pantsir-S1 short-to-medium range air defence system, which can also fire missiles.
Keywords: Syrian unrest, Russia-Syria ties
Yes, it is correct
Turkey has now no leg to stand on and claim that Syria shot down its plane over international air space.This Turkish adventurism has to stop and be stopped by the International Community.
The war within Syria is escalating beyond its borders, the world is
getting to figure out who's who in the making of a nasty surprise.
Does Mr Lavrov acknowledge the operating speed of a Phantom and where the
debris of such a hurtling body of metal would end up after being shot in mid-air ?
Furthermore, even if such a case of "invading" did occur; how many self
respecting countries does he know that would open fire without warning to
transgressing planes for about few hundred yards ? Finally; how many times did
Russia or the former Soviet State did act in such a rash and unnecessary fashion
whenever the air planes of a foreign country did cross over their air space ? I
know the answer to the last question. Never. As to my second question, if every
time a country would respond by a "kill first and ask questions later" attitude
whenever such a minor cross over did happen; approximately half of the Wold's
countries would be at war at this very moment. And as rhetorical inquiries go; I
don't think anybody even with a slight knowledge of technical matters would
seriously consider an acceptable answer to my first question
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