Survivor pilot claims Turkish shooting down Russian Su24 was intentional; Turkey releases audio in defence

Following his rescue on Tuesday, the surviving pilot of the downed Russian Su24 claimed that Turkey’s attack on the fighter plane with its two F-16s was intentional. Turkey, on the other hand, released the audio recording of the exchange before it shot down the plane.

Su24 navigator Konstantin Murakhtin said that no prior warning was given by Turkey before it attacked the jet. “There was no warning, not by radio exchanger nor visually. There was no contact at all,” he told Russian television journalists on Wednesday.

After the rescue, the pilot was taken to Hmeymim airbase, where Russia’s aircraft have been based in Syria. Murakhtin gave his interview with his back at front, hiding his face, and said that he was well aware of the airspace the fighter plane was roaming in and it was not Turkey. He claimed that the jet did not enter Turkish airspace even for a second.

“I could perfectly see on the map and on the ground where the border was and where we were,” the survivor of the Russian jet shooting said. “We were flying at an altitude of 6000 metres, the weather was clear.”

The Su24 navigator said that he was feeling good after the military doctors’ miraculous treatment. He indicated his wish to get well soon so that he could join his duty immediately. He said he would request commanders to keep him at the airbase so that he could pay back the debt of his companion Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov, who died in the mishap.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced honouring the brave soldiers affected by the incident with rewards. He said that Peshkov would be awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia posthumously, while Murakhtin will be honoured with state award along with the Russian marine soldier Alexander Pozynich, who died when his Mi-8 helicopter was gun-fired while rescuing the other pilot.

Meanwhile, Turkey released an audio recording on Wednesday that warned the Russian plane. The recording can be heard someone saying in English multiple times, “You are approaching Turkish airspace, change your heading south.”