Video of Russian Jet Downing Surfaces, Putin Calls Turkey “Accomplice of Terrorists”, Warns of “Consequences”
By: CoNN
Video allegedly of the Russian jet as it was shot down, showing that at least one pilot has successfully ejected, seen drifting slowly to the ground:
In the wake of the recent downing of a Russian jet, Russian president Vladimir Putin has issued some harsh words:
The loss today is a stab in the back, carried out by the accomplices of terrorists. I can’t describe it in any other way. Our aircraft was downed over the territory of Syria, using air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16. It fell on the Syrian territory 4km from Turkey.
Neither our pilots nor our jet threatened the territory of Turkey. This is obvious. They are fighting terrorists in the northern areas around Latakia, where militants are located, mainly people who originated in Russia, and they were pursuing their direct duty, to make sure these people do not return to Russia. These are people who are clearly international terrorists.
Taking into account that we signed an agreement on deconflicting with the US, and as we know Turkey was among the ones that has joined the US coalition. Since Isis has such huge resources of hundreds of millions and billions of dollars coming from illicit oil sales, and they are protected by the armed forces of other states, then it’s clear why they are so brazen, why they are killing people, why they are carrying out terrorist attacks throughout the world including in the heart of Europe.
We will analyse everything, and today’s tragic event will have significant consequences, including for Russia-Turkish relations. We have always treated Turkey as a friendly state. I don’t know who was interested in what happened today, certainly not us. And instead of immediately getting in contact with us, as far as we know, the Turkish side immediately turned to their partners from Nato to discuss this incident, as if we shot down their plane and not they ours.
Another provocation against Russia would be the unconfirmed reports that both pilots of the jet were executed, after ejecting from a jet brought down by Turkey. If this was true, Turkey has aided a terror group in murdering a Russian citizen. To grasp the implications, try to imagine what the US would do if it was an American jet that was downed and ISIS executed its pilot.
Did you just see Obama order a full-on boots-on-the-ground invasion?
The Russian bear is getting angry… :
Putin’s statement makes a number of points, and addresses a number of key issues at once:
First he called Turkey an accomplice of terror, and that he felt betrayed by its actions.
Second, he states that the plane was shot down by a Turkish jet, an F16 which was (of course) made in America, and that the Russian jet had been within Syrian territory when the incident occurred.
Third he makes the extremely important point that the jets were targeting terrorists; Turkey had no reason to down the jet which was NOT attacking Turkish targets. Although Turkey will claim that it was protecting its sovereignty, the reality is that it has time and again been found to have been either “unknowingly” sheltering ISIS fighters, or bombing Kurds who happen to be fighting ISIS.
Fourth, Putin notes that ISIS is so “brazen” because it is being protected by other states- namely Turkey.
I had once noted that the porous Turkish border is in fact the main reason ISIS is currently so well supplied, and the Guardian once reported that Turkey could have cut them off if it was indeed serious about destroying ISIS. Russian strikes have to be made nearby in order to cut ISIS off, this has NOTHING to do with testing Turkish borders or Russia being “aggressive”.
The final point that Putin makes should scare you. Putin warns of consequences for NATO member Turkey… and regardless of the legitimacy of Turkish actions, NATO will rally around Turkey; Turkey is a relatively weak nation, and regardless of whether the jet was within its territory or not, it would not have dared to down the Russian jet UNLESS it had some sort of implicit assurance from the rest of NATO that they would defend it- assuming there wasn’t a prior agreement/ plan that is, seeing as the US had sent 6 jets equipped with air-to-air missiles to Turkey just a few weeks prior… as well as the arming of all manner of “rebels” with surface to air missiles by other US allies.
This was why Turkey went straight to NATO, not even bothering to apologize to Russia.
That means that it’s not a small-scale Russia vs Turkey incident- if the Russian bear doesn’t back down, as it usually does, it’s the first salvo in a NATO vs Russia shooting war.
Albert Einstein — ‘I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.’
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