Türkiye accuses Russian planes of violating airspace

Türkiye summoned the Russian ambassador today after accusing a Moscow plane of violating its airspace.

Russian Su-34 fighter jet. Photo: Wikipedia

APThe incident occurred yesterday, according to a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. A Su-34 is said to have entered Turkish airspace despite warnings from radar units in both Russian and English.

Ankara accused Moscow of escalating tensions and warned that Russia would be held responsible for any "catastrophic" consequences.

"We are making a clear call to Russia not to violate Turkish airspace, which is also NATO airspace," the statement said.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that at a meeting with Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, it "strongly protested and condemned the violation, and reiterated its concerns and the seriousness of the violation."

The Russian Embassy in Ankara confirmed the ambassador's summons.

"We confirm that Ambassador Andrei Karlov had a meeting at the Turkish Foreign Ministry. We will not comment on the content of his conversation with his colleagues at the Turkish Foreign Ministry," said Russian embassy spokesman Igor Mityakov.

In November, Turkish F-16 fighter jets shot down a Russian Su-24, also accused of violating its airspace near the Syrian border, killing one pilot. Russia, meanwhile, claimed that the plane was about a kilometer from the Turkish border when it was shot down.

The incident sparked an unprecedented crisis between the two countries since the Cold War. President Vladimir Putin later signed a decree imposing a series of economic sanctions on Türkiye.

Russian sanctions are expected to cost Türkiye more than $12 billion a year, four times Ankara's previous estimate.

According to VNE