The pilot who was rescued from the downed Russian Su-24 has insisted that his plane did not cross into Turkey’s airspace, and he says he was not given a visual nor a radio warning before being fired at.
Co- pilot Konstantin Murakhtin told Russian media “It’s impossible that we violated their airspace even for a second,” he said, adding “We were flying at an altitude of 6,000 meters in completely clear weather, and I had total control of our flight path throughout.”
Muravkin was rescued by Russian and Syrian special forces and was speaking from the Russian Hemeimeem air base in Syria.
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RT reports: As well as denying Ankara’s assertions that the plane was in Turkey’s airspace, Murakhtin also refuted Turkish officials’ claims that the pilots were warned repeatedly.
“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,” said Murakhtin, who is currently recuperating at Russia’s airbase in Latakia, northern Syria.
“As it was, the missile hit the back of our plane out of nowhere. We didn’t even have time to make an evasive maneuver.”
President Putin confirmed earlier today that the surviving pilot, identified as Captain Konstantin Murahtin, had been rescued by Russian military in a 12-hour long joint operation with Syrian government forces, and had been taken to a Russian air base.
According to the Mail Online: Russian forces launched at least a dozen airstrikes against insurgent-held areas near the Turkey-Syria border where the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter jet was shot down by the Turkish army yesterday.
Heavy bombardment hit areas controlled by Turkmen rebels, the group claiming to have shot and killed one of the pilots of the Russian jet as he parachuted out of the flaming wreckage, and attempted to kill his co-pilot.
