Russian Defense Ministry denies claims that Su-34 violated Turkish border

"Statements by the Turkish side of an alleged case of violation by the Russian Su-34 aircraft of airspace are unsubstantiated propaganda," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday denied claims by Turkey that a Russian Su-34 fighter jet allegedly violated Turkish airspace on Friday.

"There have been no violations of Turkey’s airspace by aircraft of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic," the ministry said.

"Statements by the Turkish side of an alleged case of violation by the Russian Su-34 aircraft of airspace are unsubstantiated propaganda," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry earlier Saturday claimed that a Russian Su-34 fighter jet violated its airspace on January 29. "Yesterday the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Su-34 violated Turkish airspace. Before the violation, Turkish radar stations repeatedly warned the Russian aircraft in Russian and in English," the statement said.

It said that on January 29 in the evening "the ambassador of the Russian Federation was summoned to the ministry" and a protest was lodged to him in connection with what happened. The Turkish ministry did not state where the alleged airspace violation occurred exactly.

Konashenkov said: "I am convinced that even Turkish air defense specialists know that radar stations controlling airspace may only register the altitude, course and speed of the object in the air. None of these radars is capable of establishing the type and state affiliation of the air object - Russia or the US-led so-called anti-ISIL coalition."

He said this is only possible with the help of "direct visual contact from another aircraft, which did not take place."

"Only illiterate propagandists who have watched many Hollywood action movies may speak seriously that the radars were used by someone to warn someone ‘in Russian and English’," Konashenkov said.

 
"On our part, we may flatly state that neither Russian air defense means in Syria, nor Syrian airspace control radar stations have registered any violations of the Syrian-Turkish border. Not to say that there have long been no voice contacts of the Turkish side with our pilots," he said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 31-01-2016