© Michael Klimentyev / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin
Turkey backstabbed Russia by downing the Russian warplane and acted as accomplices of the terrorists, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"This incident stands out against the usual fight against terrorism. Our troops are fighting heroically against terrorists, risking their lives.
But the loss we suffered today came from a stab in the back delivered by accomplices of the terrorists," Putin said.
Putin said the plane was hit by a Turkish warplane as it was traveling at an altitude of 6000 meters about a kilometer from the Turkish border. It was hit by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet. The crash site is four kilometers from the border. The plane posed no threat to Turkish national security, he stressed.
Putin said the plane was targeting terrorist targets in the Latakia province of Syria, many of whom came from Russia. Russia noticed of the flow of oil from Syrian territory under the control of terrorists to Turkey, Putin said. The money finances terrorist groups.
"IS has big money, hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars, from selling oil.
In addition they are protected by the military of an entire nation. One can understand why they are acting so boldly and blatantly. Why they kill people in such atrocious ways. Why they commit terrorist acts across the world, including in the heart of Europe," the Russian leader said.
The downing of the Russian warplane happened
despite Russia signing an agreement with the US to prevent such incidents in Syria, Putin stressed. Turkey claims to be part of the US-led coalition fighting against IS in Syria, he added.
The incident will have grave consequences for Russia's relations with Turkey, Putin warned.
Comment: Wonder what the new cabinet thinks of Mr. Erdogan's Tuesday morning activities? This is a sad situation made a lot worse, with possible "round-the-world" ramifications.