Moscow boosts air defenses in Syria
November 26, 2015, 10:22 am

Russian demonstrators pelted the Turkish embassy in Moscow with rocks and eggs [Xinhua]

The two countries traded accusations and barbs with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying there would be tough consequences for the downing of the warcraft.

Russian media hurled insults at the Turkish leadership as many on social media expressed disappointment that Ankara would “stab” Moscow in the back.

Some Russian media speculated that the Turkish action was a planned provocation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also spoke of the planned provocation.

“We have no intention to go to war with Turkey,” Lavrov told Russian journalists.

“Yet we can’t but react to what has happened.” Lavrov was to meet with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara in a visit scheduled before the incident. He canceled the trip on Tuesday.

Russian travel agencies have canceled all trips to Turkey. Hundreds of thousands of Russians traditionally travel to Turkey, a country they considered friendly, to visit numerous seaside resorts or do business and trade with Turkish exporters.

Turkey says it fired on the SU-24 after warning the crew 10 times that they had repeatedly strayed into Turkish air space.

But Captain Konstantin Murakhtin, the navigator of the downed SU-24, who was rescued by Syrian special forces and returned to the Russian air force base in Latakia, said that there was no way the fighter jet flew into Turkish air space.

His crewman Captain Sergey Rumyantsev was shot down by Islamist extremist groups allied to Turkey as he ejected and parachuted from the fighter jet.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Hague Rules of Warfare, it is a violation to shoot parachutists from a plane in distress. However, this does not apply to paratrooper units.

“In actual fact, there were no warnings at all. Neither through the radio, nor visually, so we did not at any point adjust our course. You need to understand the difference in speed between a tactical bomber like a Su-24, and that of the F16. If they wanted to warn us, they could have sat on our wing,” Murakhtin told Russian media Wednesday.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, who just concluded a trip to Egypt to bolster military ties, announced that Moscow would deploy S-400 anti-aircraft missile defense systems at its bases in Syria.

On Tuesday, the Russian military said it had cut off contacts with Turkey.

It also took measures to enhance and strengthen its defensive capabilities in Syria and the Mediterranean: All combat sorties of Russian bombers will be accompanied by fighter jets from now on.

The missile cruiser Moskva stationed near the Latakia coastline will also be used to boost air defenses.

It’s air defense capabilities are equal to that of the S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile system.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies