The speech of the head of the Main operations Directorate of the General staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy on the fact of the provocative actions of the Turkish air force:

Today at 10.24 GMT, when performing a combat mission over the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkish fighter air force F-16 shot down a front-line bomber su-24M of the Russian HQ. Presumably the failure was caused by the rocket of near radius of action with thermal homing head. There was no attempt on the part of Turkish aircraft to contact or make eye contact with our crew by means of objective control. Instead, the su-24M was hit by a missile over the territory of Syria.

The crash site is on Syrian territory, FOUR KILOMETERS from the border. The crew of the aircraft ejected. According to preliminary data, one pilot died in the air from ground fire. We have exact data of objective control, showing our plane did not cross the border with Turkey. This is confirmed by Syrian air defenses. Moreover, according to radar reconnaissance of the Hmeymim airfield, it was noted the fact of a violation of Syria's airspace by attacking aircraft from the Turkish air force.

The established mainstream narrative tells us "Paris changed everything". Well, not really.

Let's start with the diplomatic front. Instead of the self-defined International Syria Support Group - composed of 19 political actors - meeting regularly in Vienna to implement a peace process in Syria, the priority now is war; a remixed war on terror not against al-Qaeda, but ISIS/ISIL/Daesh.

The UN Security Council already issued a de facto declaration of war on Daesh. It calls for UN members to "take all necessary measures" to defeat Daesh. Language was appropriately vague to ensure approval. Yet, post-Libya, everyone knows how the devil - especially in vague UNSC resolutions - is in the detail.

Vienna set an arbitrary target date of January 1, 2016 for the start of negotiations between Damascus and the "respectable" Syrian opposition about a political transition - with elections and a new constitution coming within 18 months.

In considering the terrifying but also sadly predictable news of a Russian fighter jet being downed by two Turkish fighters, let's start with one almost certain assumption — an assumption that no doubt is also being made by the Russian government: Turkey's action, using US-supplied F-16 planes, was taken with the full knowledge and advance support of the US. In fact, given Turkey's vassal status as a member of US-dominated NATO, it could well be that Ankara was put up to this act of brinksmanship by the US.

What makes the downing of the Russian jet, and the reported death of at least one of its two pilots (the other was reportedly captured alive by pro-turkish Turkmen fighters on the Syrian side of the Syria-Turkish border, and will presumably be returned to Russia) so dangerous is that as a member of NATO, supposedly a "mutual assistance" treaty that binds all members to come to the defense of one that is attacked, if Russia were to retaliate by downing a Turkish military plane, NATO countries including the US would be obligated to come to Turkey's defense.

Russia knows this, and that is why so far the Russian response to the downing has been muted. Had it been a Jordanian, Saudi or Kuwaiti jet that downed the Russian SU-24, Russia's response would have been instantaneous. The guilty party would have had some of its planes shot down, or perhaps even bombed on the ground. But President Putin so far has limited himself to demanding a meeting, to warning that Russian-Turkish economic relations would be threatened, etc.

On Tuesday, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that was carrying out military operations against jihadi groups in Northern Syria. The downing of the Su-24 fighter jet is part of a broader plan by the administration of Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan to topple the secular government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad and to establish "safe zones" on the Syrian side of the Turkish-Syrian border. Erdogan needs the safe zones to provide a sanctuary for the militant extremists who are the footsoldiers in his war against Syria. The downing of the Russian fighter is a desperate attempt by Erdogan to incite a reaction from Russia that will draw either NATO or the United States deeper into a conflict which has dragged on for 4 and a half years and killed 250,000 people.

Unlike the Obama administration, that has been willing to arm and train jihadi groups to conduct its proxy-war against Assad in Syria, Erdogan is a true believer, a committed Islamist who has done everything in his power to roll back democracy in Turkey, to establish one-man rule, to destroy the independent judiciary, to silence the free press, and to establish a conservative and intolerant Islamic state. Erdogan is what many would call a "Koolaid drinker", a man who believes that his support for disparate and vicious terrorist groups that have decimated Syria, laid its civilian infrastructure to waste, and displaced more than half the population is "God's work". Make no mistake, the Turkish government is the modern-day Caliphate. The fact that its government officials dress in nicely-tailored suits rather than black pajamas, is merely a way to divert attention from their extreme fanaticism and their covert support for liver-eating fundamentalist savages.

In the seven weeks since Russia began military operations in Syria, nearly all of the gains of the US-Turkey-Saudi-Qatar jihadi coalition have been wiped out. The decisive battle took place more than a week ago at Kuweris airbase east of Aleppo. This was the tipping point for the war although the imminent fall of Aleppo is bound to attract more notoriety. It's clear now that the Russian-led coalition is winning the war, has foiled US attempt to remove Assad, and that the bulk of the foreign mercenaries will either be killed or captured. The Obama administration realizes that the current phase of the war is hopeless and has started to implement a fallback plan to control territory in E Syria that is critical for future pipeline corridors. In contrast, the Turkish government is completely unwilling to accept the fact that its plan has failed which is why it has embarked on this risky strategy to draw either NATO or Washington deeper into the fray. Check this out from a Tuesday battlefield report from South Front:

"The Syrian forces backed up by the Russian warplanes, pushed back the militant groups from nearly 200 kilometers of land in the coastal province of Lattakia, military sources said Monday. On Sunday, the Syrian army and popular forces purged the terrorists and advanced to areas near the Turkish borders. The ground reports argue that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) took control of Zahia heights, 2km from the joint borders with Turkey."

Can you see what's going on? The Russian-led coalition is closing in on the Syria-Turkish border which will put an end to Erdogan's dream of toppling Assad or continuing to fuel the war with terrorists that are provided a safe haven on Syrian soil. This is why the Su-24 fighter was shot down on Tuesday. It is a desperate attempt to salvage the failed strategy of toppling a secular government and replacing it with friendly Islamic extremists who hew to Erdogan's twisted worldview.

Moscow plans to suspend military cooperation with Ankara after the downing of a Russian bomber by Turkish air forces, Russian General Staff representatives said on Tuesday. Further measures to beef up Russian air base security in Syria will also be taken.

Three steps as announced by top brass:

1. Each and every strike groups' operation is to be carried out under the guise of fighter jets
2. Air defense to be boosted with the deployment of Moskva guided missile cruiser off Latakia coast with an aim to destroy any target that may pose danger
3. Military contacts with Turkey to be suspended

Sergey Rudskoy, a top official with the Russian General Staff, condemned the attack on the Russian bomber in Syrian airspace by a Turkish fighter jet as "a severe violation of international law". He stressed that the Su-24 was downed over the Syrian territory. The crash site was four kilometers away from the Turkish border, he said.

Rudskoy said the Russian warplane did not violate Turkish airspace. Additionally, according to the Hmeymim airfield radar, it was the Turkish fighter jet that actually entered Syrian airspace as it attacked the Russian bomber.

A video of Syrian rebels allegedly firing at a Russian-made helicopter on the ground has been posted on a YouTube channel associated with the FSA's 1st Coastal Brigade. The helicopter is said to have been on a search mission for the pilots of the Su-24 jet downed by Turkey in Syria.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the militants struck the helicopter with an anti-tank missile.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA), considered to be the so-called "moderate opposition" by the West, has received US Tow missiles among other weaponry.

The video released by the rebel group shows two helicopters flying over a wooded area. The clip then switches to a militant setting up and arming a TOW anti-missile rocket launcher.

It's followed by footage of a helicopter on the ground filmed from a distance, which is blown up by a direct hit. However, the distance and the quality of the video don't make it possible to establish the allegiance of the helicopter.

Turkey's President Erdogan is planning to shoot down Russian planes in Syria, to put relations between Russia and Turkey to the brink of war. This should help him in his election campaign and save him from possible defeat and the end of his political career. A Turkish blogger, known under the name Fuat Avni came out with this troubling warning. He has been active for several years, and his denunciations of government's plans often turn out to be true.

Our sources in Turkey believe that Erdogan out of a well-founded fear of defeat is ready to plunge his country into a state of war hysteria, shooting down Russian planes in the skies of Syria under the pretext that they violated the Turkish airspace.

Erdogan has pushed himself into a corner with his position on Syria. His planes, under the pretext of fighting ISIS are bombing Kurdish villages, causing active resistance of both the Syrian and Turkish Kurds.

The Russian-led anti-terrorist campaign in Syria has taken center stage at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Tehran, where President Putin met with Iranian leaders and praised their country's role in rooting out terrorism in the region.

Meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, the Russian leader said that without Iran's cooperation in the anti-terrorist campaign in Syria, success would have been impossible to achieve. Vladimir Putin emphasized that the Russian-led operation is a "complex" mission that also involves work coordinating the efforts of the coalition which includes Syria, Iran and Iraq."All this is done, of course, in agreement with the Iranian partners," said Putin. "I think that without them it would be impossible."

Rouhani meanwhile announced that Iran and Russia have agreed to strengthen their efforts against the common enemy and to further develop "cooperation on regional issues, in particular in the fight against terrorism. Terrorism today is a formidable challenge for the region and for the whole world," Rouhani said at a press conference following the talks. "Whereas some countries are only indulging in anti-terrorist oratory and taking demonstrative actions, our two countries have proved that this issue can be addressed seriously."

Putin meanwhile praised the efforts of Russian pilots, who continue daily combat sorties against terrorist targets in Syria."I evaluate the actions of our pilots as quite positive," Putin said. In addition to deploying vast air power, Putin stated that Russia is also using its fleet in the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to launch missiles against Islamic State targets in Syria.

Black Daesh, white Daesh. The former slits throats, kills, stones, cuts off hands, destroys humanity's common heritage and despises archaeology, women and non-Muslims. The latter is better dressed and neater but does the same things. The Islamic State; Saudi Arabia. In its struggle against terrorism, the West wages war on one, but shakes hands with the other. This is a mechanism of denial, and denial has a price: preserving the famous strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia at the risk of forgetting that the kingdom also relies on an alliance with a religious clergy that produces, legitimizes, spreads, preaches and defends Wahhabism, the ultra-puritanical form of Islam that Daesh feeds on.

Wahhabism, a messianic radicalism that arose in the 18th century, hopes to restore a fantasized caliphate centered on a desert, a sacred book, and two holy sites, Mecca and Medina. Born in massacre and blood, it manifests itself in a surreal relationship with women, a prohibition against non-Muslims treading on sacred territory, and ferocious religious laws. That translates into an obsessive hatred of imagery and representation and therefore art, but also of the body, nakedness and freedom. Saudi Arabia is a Daesh that has made it.

The West's denial regarding Saudi Arabia is striking: It salutes the theocracy as its ally but pretends not to notice that it is the world's chief ideological sponsor of Islamist culture. The younger generations of radicals in the so-called Arab world were not born jihadists. They were suckled in the bosom of Fatwa Valley, a kind of Islamist Vatican with a vast industry that produces theologians, religious laws, books, and aggressive editorial policies and media campaigns.

A Russian warplane has gone down near the Turkish-Syrian border after an apparent attack. Turkish and Russian sources have given conflicting reports about the incident, which has the potential to escalate the tension between Russia and NATO member Turkey.

"Russian retaliation will be more calibrated, be colder, it will be swift, and the when the Turks cannot see it coming" - Pepe Escobar