SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
In Wake of Turkey Provocation, Putin Orders Anti-Aircraft Missiles to Syria
As NATO allies rush to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian officials are pointing to Ankara's complicity in the growth of the Islamic State
Nov 25, 2015
Heightening the threat of further escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria on Wednesday, saying the measure was necessary to "ensure flight safety" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday.
The S-400 missile systems will be sent to Russia's Hemeimeem air base, located roughly 30 miles south of the Turkish border in Syria's coastal province of Latakia. The systems are capable of targeting jets with "deadly precision," AP notes.
Russia also verified on Wednesday that the navigator of the fighter jet is "alive and well" after a successful 12-hour rescue operation by a Syrian Special Forces unit. However, further complicating matters, the plane's pilot and a marine sent in to rescue the airmen were both killed Tuesday, reportedly by rebel fighters armed with U.S.-supplied missiles.
In addition to the S-400s, Russia has also ordered its missile cruiser Moskva with its long-range air defense system to move closer to shore, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, so that it may be "ready to destroy any aerial target posing a potential danger to our aircraft." Shoigu told a meeting of military officials that Russian bombers will also now be accompanied by fighters during all combat missions in Syria.
Amid these increasing military tensions, the United Nations and NATO both issued statements calling for restraint on Tuesday.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg asked for "calm and de-escalation," while maintaining that the alliance backs Turkey's accounting of events. Because Turkey is a NATO member, if Russia were to retaliate, NATO would be obligated to intervene.
Though NATO allies have rushed to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian officials are pointing to the country's complicity in the growth of the Islamic State. As AP reports:
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who canceled his planned trip to Turkey after the incident, described the shooting down of the Russian plane as a "planned provocation."
He said the Turkish action came after Russian planes successfully targeted oil infrastructure used by the Islamic State group, alleging that Turkey benefited from the oil trade.
Lavrov also said that Turkish territory was used by "terrorists" to prepare attacks in other countries, but offered no details.
He said that Russia "has no intention to go to war with Turkey," but added that Moscow will re-consider its ties with Ankara.
As for what's next, Putin told reporters Wednesday, "After what happened yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility of] new incidents, and, if such incidents occur, we will have to react in one way or another."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Heightening the threat of further escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria on Wednesday, saying the measure was necessary to "ensure flight safety" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday.
The S-400 missile systems will be sent to Russia's Hemeimeem air base, located roughly 30 miles south of the Turkish border in Syria's coastal province of Latakia. The systems are capable of targeting jets with "deadly precision," AP notes.
Russia also verified on Wednesday that the navigator of the fighter jet is "alive and well" after a successful 12-hour rescue operation by a Syrian Special Forces unit. However, further complicating matters, the plane's pilot and a marine sent in to rescue the airmen were both killed Tuesday, reportedly by rebel fighters armed with U.S.-supplied missiles.
In addition to the S-400s, Russia has also ordered its missile cruiser Moskva with its long-range air defense system to move closer to shore, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, so that it may be "ready to destroy any aerial target posing a potential danger to our aircraft." Shoigu told a meeting of military officials that Russian bombers will also now be accompanied by fighters during all combat missions in Syria.
Amid these increasing military tensions, the United Nations and NATO both issued statements calling for restraint on Tuesday.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg asked for "calm and de-escalation," while maintaining that the alliance backs Turkey's accounting of events. Because Turkey is a NATO member, if Russia were to retaliate, NATO would be obligated to intervene.
Though NATO allies have rushed to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian officials are pointing to the country's complicity in the growth of the Islamic State. As AP reports:
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who canceled his planned trip to Turkey after the incident, described the shooting down of the Russian plane as a "planned provocation."
He said the Turkish action came after Russian planes successfully targeted oil infrastructure used by the Islamic State group, alleging that Turkey benefited from the oil trade.
Lavrov also said that Turkish territory was used by "terrorists" to prepare attacks in other countries, but offered no details.
He said that Russia "has no intention to go to war with Turkey," but added that Moscow will re-consider its ties with Ankara.
As for what's next, Putin told reporters Wednesday, "After what happened yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility of] new incidents, and, if such incidents occur, we will have to react in one way or another."
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Heightening the threat of further escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of sophisticated anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria on Wednesday, saying the measure was necessary to "ensure flight safety" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on Tuesday.
The S-400 missile systems will be sent to Russia's Hemeimeem air base, located roughly 30 miles south of the Turkish border in Syria's coastal province of Latakia. The systems are capable of targeting jets with "deadly precision," AP notes.
Russia also verified on Wednesday that the navigator of the fighter jet is "alive and well" after a successful 12-hour rescue operation by a Syrian Special Forces unit. However, further complicating matters, the plane's pilot and a marine sent in to rescue the airmen were both killed Tuesday, reportedly by rebel fighters armed with U.S.-supplied missiles.
In addition to the S-400s, Russia has also ordered its missile cruiser Moskva with its long-range air defense system to move closer to shore, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, so that it may be "ready to destroy any aerial target posing a potential danger to our aircraft." Shoigu told a meeting of military officials that Russian bombers will also now be accompanied by fighters during all combat missions in Syria.
Amid these increasing military tensions, the United Nations and NATO both issued statements calling for restraint on Tuesday.
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg asked for "calm and de-escalation," while maintaining that the alliance backs Turkey's accounting of events. Because Turkey is a NATO member, if Russia were to retaliate, NATO would be obligated to intervene.
Though NATO allies have rushed to Turkey's defense, both experts and Russian officials are pointing to the country's complicity in the growth of the Islamic State. As AP reports:
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who canceled his planned trip to Turkey after the incident, described the shooting down of the Russian plane as a "planned provocation."
He said the Turkish action came after Russian planes successfully targeted oil infrastructure used by the Islamic State group, alleging that Turkey benefited from the oil trade.
Lavrov also said that Turkish territory was used by "terrorists" to prepare attacks in other countries, but offered no details.
He said that Russia "has no intention to go to war with Turkey," but added that Moscow will re-consider its ties with Ankara.
As for what's next, Putin told reporters Wednesday, "After what happened yesterday we can't rule out [the possibility of] new incidents, and, if such incidents occur, we will have to react in one way or another."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.