Russia deploys missile cruiser off Syria, says will target threats

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Russia deploys missile cruiser off Syria, says will target threats

Russia’s Moskva guided missile cruiser (AFP Photo)
Moscow has deployed a missile cruiser off the coast of Syria after Turkish warplanes downed a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian-Turkish border.

According to Russian media on Tuesday, missile cruiser Moskva equipped with the Fort air defense system similar to S-300 will be stationed off the coast of Syria’s western province of Latakia.

“We warn that every target posing a potential threat will be destroyed,” lieutenant general Sergey Rudskoy, a top official with the Russian General Staff, said.
Russia has also announced that it will halt all military cooperation with Turkey following the attack.

“All military contacts with Turkey will be suspended,” Rudskoy added.
The Turkish air force shot down the plane on Tuesday and said the shooting came after the plane was warned “ten times” for violating the Turkish airspace. The Russian Defense Ministry, however, said it could prove the aircraft was over Syria during its entire flight.

Rudskoy said Turkish fighter jets had made no attempts to contact Russian pilots before launching the attack.

“We assume the strike was carried out with a close range missile with an infra-red seeker,” he said. “The Turkish jet made no attempts to communicate or establish visual contact with our crew that our equipment would have registered. The Su-24 was hit by the missile over Syria’s territory.”
President Vladimir Putin of Russia described Turkey’s downing as a “stab in the back,” and added that the aircraft was shot down over the territory of Syria with an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 warplane. He said the jet fell on the Syrian territory about four kilometers (2.5 miles) from Turkey.

There have been conflicting reports over the fate of the two Russian pilots. Turkish media said militants in Syria have captured one of the pilots after both of them ejected. Syrian opposition sources said one pilot is dead and another missing.

A video uploaded by the militants in Syria on social media purportedly showed a Russian pilot who appears to be lifeless or incapacitated on the ground. An official from the group told Reuters that the man was dead.

Later in the day, an unnamed Turkish official said the two pilots are believed to be alive, noting, “Right now Turkey is trying to recover them.”….More Here

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Russia deploys missile cruiser off Syria, says will target threats