The co-pilot of the Russian Su-24 downed in Syria has reported that he heard no warnings before the jet was shot down, which highlights faults in Turkish technology. Konstantin Murakhtin, now at a Russian base in Syrian territory, was rescued by Russian military overnight.
There Was No Contact Between Jet and Turkish Military
The pilot maintains that there was no contact, no visual and no warnings issued via radio from the Turkish military. His other pilot, Oleg Peshkov, was killed by rebels once they ejected from the jet. The jet, apparently, didn’t even see the Turkish rocket in time to evade it, which is why they resorted to ejecting from the jet.
Murakhtin adds that he did not cross towards the Turkish border either. They had been following a routine route around Syria and were bombed in Syrian territory.
NATO and US Are On Turkey’s Side
Turkey maintains that the jet violated Turkish airspace, and that after issuing more than enough warnings, it resorted to shooting the jet down. Turkish officials say that the jet was warned 10 times in the span of five minutes before they took action, but the co-pilot is now refuting everything. NATO is backing the Turkish account of events, as is US military. According to them, there is audio proving that the warnings were given and promptly ignored.
