Armenia claims Turkish jet shot down one of its warplanes

Turkey has denied the claim.

In this photo released by Armenia’s Ministry of Defence on September 29, 2020, an Armenian soldier fires an artillery piece during fighting with Azerbaijan’s forces in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: Ministry of Defence of Armenia via AP

Armenia said on September 29 that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet had shot down one of its SU-25 warplanes after taking off from Azerbaijan amid fierce clashes over the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region.

“An Armenian SU-25 aircraft has been shot down by a Turkish F-16 warplane... which flew from Azerbaijan's territory,” Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan wrote on Facebook, adding that the “Armenian pilot has heroically died.”

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Turkey has denied the claim. “The claim that Turkey shot down an Armenian fighter jet is absolutely untrue,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top press aide Fahrettin Altun said.

“Armenia should withdraw from the territories under its occupation instead of resorting to cheap propaganda tricks,” he added.