Downing of Russian Su-24 Was a 'Pre-Planned Provocation' by Turkey, NATO

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, a Russian Su-24 jet crashed in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the plane was downed over Syrian territory by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet, and fell 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Turkish border. Putin described the Turkish attack as a "stab in the back" carried out by "accomplices of terrorists."

"This has all the appearances of a pre-planned, pre-meditated provocation against Russia which Turkey planned with its NATO partners," George Galloway, who is also currently running for London mayorship, said.

The former lawmaker expressed hope that Russia would redouble its efforts to achieve victory over the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

Ankara claimed it downed the Russian plane because it had violated Turkish airspace. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 was downed in Syrian airspace and never crossed into Turkey, in accordance with precise objective control data.

One of the two Su-24 pilots was killed by fire from the ground after ejecting from the plane and a Russian naval infantry soldier was killed during the rescue operation.