Moscow’s response to the Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft crash will be aimed at ensuring the security of
Russian military personnel deployed to Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press
conference following talks with the Hungarian prime minister.
"As for retaliatory measures, they will be first and foremost aimed at additionally ensuring the
security of our military personnel and facilities in Syria," he said.
The Russian leader described the loss of the Ilyushin-20 over the Mediterranean as a result of a
string of tragic circumstances and offered condolences to the victims’ relatives.
"When people get killed, particularly so, under such tragic circumstances, it is always a great
misfortune to us, to the country and to the relatives of our late comrades. I offer condolences first
and foremost to the relatives of those killed," Putin said at a news conference following
Russian-Hungarian talks. "As for comparison with the well-known events (the attack on a
Russian plane), when a Turkish fighter jet shot down our plane, it was a different situation. This
time it looks like a string of tragic circumstances."
Downing of Il-20 aircraft
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, at about 23:00 Moscow time (20:00 GMT) on
September 17, contact was lost with a Russian Il-20 aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea
back to the Russian Hmeimim air base in Syria. The ministry said the aircraft had disappeared
from radar during an airstrike carried out by four Israeli F-16 fighter jets on targets in the Syrian
province of Latakia.
On Tuesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Il-20 aircraft had been
accidently downed by Syrian air defenses because the Israeli F-16 jets had been using it as cover.
According to Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov, Israeli pilots
"could not but see the Russian plane, which was approaching the runway from an altitude of five
kilometers." The ministry added that it considered such actions by Israel to be hostile.
Later in the day, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a telephone call with his Israeli
counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, stating that Israel was solely to blame for the downing of
Russia’s Il-20 aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea. "The Israeli Defense Ministry’s actions are
not in the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership so we reserve the right to take retaliatory steps,"
the Russian defense chief stressed.
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