The Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that the plane, an SU-30 Flanker fighter jet, had strayed into Turkish airspace as a “consequence of unfavorable weather conditions,” and that Russian forces had “
taken necessary measures to prevent such occurrences in [the] future.”
NATO, however, said two Russian jets had crossed into Turkish airspace, the SU-30 on Saturday and an SU-24 Fencer bomber on Sunday.
The Western alliance implied that the incursions were an intentional provocation.
“The aircraft in question entered Turkish airspace despite Turkish authorities’ clear, timely and repeated warnings,” a
NATO statement said. “Allies strongly protest these violations of Turkish sovereign airspace, and condemn these incursions into and violations of NATO airspace. Allies also note the extreme danger of such irresponsible behavior.”