The tensions between Russia and NATO have reached a tipping point, with the Western allies now discussing their next course of action against Moscow. In the wake of this chaos, it has been nine years since a NATO country shot down a Russian fighter jet for the first time on November 24.
The incident goes back to 2015, when tensions were running high between Russia and Turkey, a NATO state, due to the alleged repeated violations of Turkish airspace by Russian warplanes.
On the fateful day of November 24, 2015, two Russian Sukhoi Su-24M2 Fencer aircraft allegedly entered the Turkish airspace once again. But one of them never made it out.
According to reports, two Su-24M2 belonging to the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) had taken off to hit ISIS positions in Syria. One of these Su-aircraft, however, was shot down by an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missile (AMRAAM) fired from a Turkish F-16 fighter jet near the Turkish-Syrian border.
In the unprecedented incident that risked snowballing into a larger conflict, the aircraft was downed within 17 seconds of entering the Turkish airspace, even though it did nothing to pose a threat to the Turks. The attack was alleged to be an ambush by the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, as no warning shots were fired before downing the aircraft.
However, Turkey said that the aircraft that entered its airspace was warned ten times before the missile was launched. The Turkish military released an official statement at the time: “Two F-16 planes on aerial patrol duty in the area intervened against the plane in question in accordance with the rules of engagement at 9.24 am.”
Turkey claimed that one aircraft violated Turkish national airspace and fled, while the other plane was shot down by Turkish F-16s patrolling the area and crashed into Syrian territory after being struck in Turkish airspace. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the attack took place when the Russian combat aircraft was 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) inside Syria.
The claims and counter-claims notwithstanding, the incident was of massive consequence because it was the first time that the military of a NATO country had shot down a Russian aircraft after the 1950s. As the missile hit the Su-24M2 aircraft, the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Peshkov, and weapon system operator, Captain Murakhtin, immediately ejected from the aircraft. However, they were allegedly shot at by the militants active in the border region.
Shortly after this incident, Ankara stated that the Russian aircraft did not answer the warnings issued on the mutually agreed radio channel and the international air distress channel as it continued to fly towards Turkish airspace. However, the surviving pilot of the Russian jet later refuted the claims and said no warning had been given and the aircraft did not violate Turkish air space.
Putin hit back at Ankara, saying that the attack was akin to a “stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists.” Ankara had traditionally expressed solidarity with Syrian Turkmen militants.
Turkey published a radar analysis of the Russian jet’s flight route, which showed that the aircraft crossed a spur of southern Turkish land that juts down into northern Syria. According to the graphic published by Turkey, the Russian aircraft crashed close to Turkmen Mountain after reaching the southern tip of Hatay Province. However, Russia refuted all claims made by Turkey and warned of consequences for their bilateral relationship.
The incident sparked a phase of hostilities between Turkey and Russia. The Russian Foreign Minister, who was scheduled to visit Ankara to smoothen ties and boost cooperation, canceled his trip. Both sides summoned each other’s diplomats and severed military ties.
However, the tensions did not persist for long. The shoot-down of Su-24M2 was followed by a coup in Turkey in June 2016, which changed the political and security dynamics of Turkey forever. Ankara knew that the rifts in the relationship with Moscow needed to be repaired as both nations had important stakes in Syria and the Black Sea region.
Later, in June 2016, the Kremlin announced that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had apologized to Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the shooting of its fighter jet. “I want to once again express my sympathy and deep condolences to the family of the Russian pilot who died, and I say: ‘I’m sorry,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Russia.
The relationship was eventually reset through concerted efforts from both sides. In fact, Turkey signed the S-400 purchase agreement with Russia in 2017 and went ahead with the acquisition despite warnings from the United States and other NATO allies.
The acquisition came at the cost of Turkey being kicked out of the F-35 consortium and missing the chance to operate a fifth-generation fighter.
Turkey Is Not Inimical To Russia Anymore
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike in response to the West approving Ukraine’s request to carry out long-range attacks on Russian territory.
When asked about Putin’s latest decision, which has been condemned by the West, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia had to take steps to protect itself. Erdogan told reporters that Turkey must keep good relations with both Russia and Ukraine and that it will keep calling for peace even after Ukraine attacked Russia with US ATACMS missiles, which he said was “not positive.”
A statement released from his office warned that the authorization granted by the US and other Western states would escalate the conflict.
Turkey has denounced the Russian invasion, claims to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and has given Kyiv military assistance. However, the country has also opposed Western sanctions against Moscow and refused to join the sanction regime. This is because Ankara has significant defense, oil, and tourism ties and an active involvement in Syria.
Turkey has benefitted enormously in managing the Kurd rebels from Russian intervention. Without Russian approval, Turkey could not have established the buffer zones in northern Syria. In fact, both sides took joint patrols in northeast Syria earlier this year.
Turkey is one of NATO’s oldest members, but lately, Ankara has been considered the “most isolated” member. Turkey has disagreed with several NATO goals and tenets, with Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO being a recent case in point.
Erdogan has been quite friendly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, now NATO’s number one enemy, despite the invasion of Ukraine. After Russia struck Ukraine with a medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile, a Turkish official told the media that Erdogan will discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on November 25.
Turkey has often projected itself as an arbiter in the ongoing conflict, which is fast approaching its three-year anniversary. In a phone call on November 24, Erdogan assured Putin that his country would continue to support peace efforts. During the discussions, the two presidents also spoke about regional, international, and bilateral matters, and Erdogan emphasized Turkiye’s continued efforts to reduce regional tensions.
“President Erdogan declared that he aimed to increase the cooperation between Turkey and Russia in several areas, notably expanding the volume of trade,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
Ironically, the only NATO country to shoot down a Russian fighter jet now also enjoys smooth ties with Moscow.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari9555(at)gmail.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
