Turkey and Russia are involved in a very ugly and very public spat at the moment, brought to a head when Turkey shot down a Russian plane they claim violated their airspace.

This recording below, released by the Turkish army as a riposte to claims they failed to give due warning, is allegedly taken moments before the drastic action was taken.

The Indepent reports:

Turkey says this warning was repeated every 30 seconds for five minutes, but was ignored throughout by the Russian Su-24 bomber.

US military officials have supported Turkish claims that warnings were sent, and appeared to verify the recording issued on open channels in English.

But Russia has said that no warnings were received – and disputes Turkey’s claim that its airspace was violated.

Whilst the pilots were able to parachute to safety before the jet went down, one was shot dead by Syrian rebels who also destroyed a Russian rescue helicopter. Putin has responded with a predictable show of strength:

The fallout of the jet’s downing has seen Russia bolster its air defence systems in north-east Syria, including a cruise ship deployed to the Mediterranean and a new missile defence system to bolster its Khmeimim air base.

“I hope that this, along with other measures that we are taking, will be enough to ensure (the safety) of our flights,” Vladimir Putin told reporters.

Let’s just hope Putin keeps his cool, no one needs a disgruntled Russian leader stirring the pot further.

[source:independent]