"The danger is always there. The danger of military escalation not by decision but by accident is always there not only between the Russian and Turkish forces but also the American and other allies working to oppose the Syrian government and to fight the Islamic State," Richard Giragosian, Director of the Regional Studies Center (RSC), told reporters when commenting on the information that Turkish air forces have downed a Russian plane in the territory of Syria. The expert pointed out that the Russian military base in Armenia can be used for supporting the Russian air operation in Syria. One cannot say unambiguously that it is bad for the country, Giragosyan said. This may be important in the light of demonstration of Armenia's significance, he added.
To note, the Defense Ministry of Russia stated on November 24 that "as most likely a result of a strike from the ground a Su-24 plane from the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic crashed in the territory of Syria". According to the preliminary reports, the plane was gunned down from the ground. The Su-24 bomber jet was in the Syrian airspace at the altitude 6,000 meters, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The pilots were reportedly able to parachute out of the jet before it crashed. One of the pilots was reported to have been detained. "During all the flight time, the aircraft was flying only within borders of the Syrian territory. Objective monitoring data show it," the Defense Ministry says.
Afterwards, the website of the Turkish Armed Forces' General Staff reported that the Turkish servicemen attacked a plane that violated the air frontier of Turkey on the Turkish-Syrian border. The source says that the plane had been warned for 10 minutes and then its flight was suspended by two F-16 fighting falcons.