Russian jet pilot says there were 'no warnings' by Turkey before plane was shot down - Mirror Online
The surviving pilot of a Russian jet downed by Turkey has said there were no warnings before they were struck out of the sky, it's reported.
Captain Konstantin Murakhtin told a Russian TV station that his plane was flying over Syrian territory and did not violate Turkish airspace.
Speaking for the first time since the incident yesterday, the pilot said he knew the region like the back of his hand and "couldn't possibly have flown into Turkish airspace".
One of the pilots parachutes out of the Russian jetMr Murakhtin was rescued early on Wednesday by Russian and Syrian commando and was speaking in televised comments from the Russian Hemeimeem air base in Syria.
He said Turkey did not give any visual or radio signal before they downed the jet.
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His colleague, who was named as Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshov, was reportedly killed by militants after bailing out.
Vladimir Putin has said the Captain Murakhtin and his rescuers should be decorated for bravery, it was earlier reported.
The president has praised the navigator and said he will be awarded the Order of Courage, according to AFP.
Read more:Russia Turkey crisis: What we know so far after fighter jet is shot down
The dead pilot has posthumously been named a Hero of Russia, the country’s highest military award.
Captain Murakhtin is “safe and sound” at an air base in Latakia province after being rescued in an overnight 12-hour rescue operation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting on the Russian armed forces activities in SyriaA statement from the Syrian armed forces said a special unit carried out overnight a “qualitative” operation with Russian forces and rescued one of the two pilots.
In a statement carried by Syria’s official news agency SANA, the army said the Syrian and Russian forces penetrated into the areas where “terrorists” are entrenched at a depth of 4.5 kilometers and rescued the pilot. It said he is in “good health”.
One of the marines, named as Alexander Pozynich, was killed during the operation and has been posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, it's reported.
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