Putin calls downing of Russian warplane by Turkey ‘stab in the back’

Turkey said Tuesday that it shot down a Russian warplane that violated its airspace in an incident Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling a “stab in the back.”

{mosads}The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it is looking into the circumstances surrounding the downed fighter jet in Syria but stressed that the plane never entered Turkey. 

Putin, speaking ahead of a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, slammed Turkey over the incident, suggesting the NATO member and U.S. ally had back-stabbed Russia.

“This event is beyond the normal framework of fighting against terrorism. Of course our military is doing heroic work against terrorism,” Putin said, according to The Guardian. “But the loss today is a stab in the back, carried out by the accomplices of terrorists.” 

Putin said in an address on television in Russia that the incident would result in “significant consequences including for relations between Russia and Turkey,” multiple news outlets reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday also canceled a previously scheduled visit to Turkey.

While Russia claimed the jet was brought down by artillery fire, Turkey said its F-16s fired on it after the Russian plane ignored 10 warnings in the span of five minutes, according to The Associated Press.

Video online showed the jet crashing into a hillside. There are conflicting reports that the two pilots were killed by Syrian rebels after parachuting from the jet.

Russia has been launching airstrikes in Syria since September.

This report was updated at 10:42 a.m.