Photo taken on Oct. 21, 2015 shows Russian Sukhoi Su-24 taking off from the Hmeymim airbase in the Latakia province, Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday confirmed that a Su-24 warplane crashed in Syria. (Xinhua/Sputnik)
Surviving pilot of the downed Russian Su-24 said on Wednesday that no visual or video warning was received from the Turkish side, ruling out possibility of violating Turkish airspace.
Turkey shot down the Russian plane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying it had violated its air space.
"In fact there were no warnings, neither via radio communication nor through eye contact. There were no contacts at all," the pilot said, quoted by the Tass news agency.
"If they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves, taken a parallel course, but there was nothing. And the rocket struck us in the tail suddenly. We didn't even visually observe it to be able to make an anti-missile maneuver," he added.
The pilot also ruled out the possibility of violating Turkish airspace as the flight of the Su-24 was in his personal full control until the explosion of the Turkish missile.
"Our entire flight until the rocket strike was entirely controlled by me. I saw perfectly well both on the map and from the terrain where the border was and where we were. There wasn't even a risk of entering Turkey," the pilot told reporters.
