President Putin vowed “serious consequences” in revenge for Turkey shooting down a Russian warplane above its border with Syria yesterday, calling it “a stab in the back by the terrorists’ accomplices”.
The jet, which was targeting Syrian rebels, was the first Russian aircraft to be shot down by a Nato member country for more than 60 years. Moscow said that one pilot was killed in his parachute by gunfire from rebels on the ground after he bailed out of the stricken jet. Rebel fighters also claimed to have shot the second crew member.
However, Turkey later said that both were still alive. Video released by the rebels purported to show a bloodied pilot surrounded by armed fighters who chanted “Allahu akbar [God is greatest]”. A