Turkey releases audio of warnings issued to Russian jet
A voice speaking in English can be heard telling the pilots that they are encroaching on the country’s airspace before their plane was downed.
The Turkish Army on Wednesday released an audio clip that purportedly shows that the country had warned the Russian jet to turn back before it was downed near the Syrian border on Tuesday. Agence France-Presse reported that a voice speaking in English could be heard repeating several times: “This is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard. You are approaching Turkish airspace. Change your heading south immediately (sic).”
Earlier in the day, the Russian fighter pilot who had survived the gunning down of the plane said that Turkey had not issued any warnings. Captain Konstantin Murakhtin said on Russian television that his plane was flying over Syrian territory and did not violate Turkish airspace. Both Turkey and Russia are major players in the crisis in Syria and the Middle East, and the incident has sparked tensions between the two countries that many fear could escalate into a global geopolitical conflict.