The NATO Secretary General is about to give a statement to the press following an emergency meeting.
Turkey's Hurriyet news site reports that Turkey had warned Russia on November 19 against targeting Turkomans -- ethnic Turks -- in Syria and about conducting operations close to the Turkish border.
Turkey had summoned Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, and Russia's military attache to the Foreign Ministry on November 19 and were warned that Turkey would take "necessary measures" if its border security was threatened.
According to Hurriyet, the Turkish Foreign Ministry brought three points to Moscow's attention:
1-The operations of the Russian army were taking place in areas very close to Turkey’s border. This increased the possibility of a de facto situation which could threaten Turkey’s border security. It should be noted Turkey’s rules of engagement were in place and there will be no hesitation to implement them if such a violation occurs.
2-The area where Russian operations were being conducted was free of [IS] or other terrorist groups. There are Turkmens [Turkomans] living in this area. Civilians Turkmens were being harmed by Russia’s operations. It should be noted Turkey won’t be indifferent to attacks targeting the life security of Turkmen.
3-Military operations cause more civilians to leave their homes. A new refugee influx is at the door. Russia’s operations in that particular region could also hurt Turkey’s humanitarian efforts as well.
The Kremlin has said it is not threatening Turkey with military consequences over the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet this morning -- but it is warning of "inevitable consequences," TASS reports, following comments by Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov.
"Of course, I would not -- and the President, in fact, did not talk about any military implications," Peskov said.
"The President has not made such allegations, but at the same time, of course, he pointed out the inevitable consequences after such unfriendly acts by the Turkish side."
Russia's Ministry of Defense has lodged an official protest with the Turkish military attache in Moscow over the downing of the Su-24 jet this morning, the Ministry has announced via its social media.
The protest says that the Russian plane was targeting armed "terrorists" including North Caucasian militants.
The protest reads as follows:
This morning at 9.30 a Russian plane which was carrying out a combat mission as part of the war on terror, was shot down by a Turkish air force plane.
The Russian plane did not cross the Turkish border and operated entirely on targets in Syria.
The military actions of the Russian air force were conducted against illegal terrorist groups, including a large number of militants from the North Caucasus in Russia.
Attempts by specialists from the Russian Ministry of Defense to organize cooperation with the Turkish side via a hotline were unsuccessful.
We consider the actions of the Turkish air force as an unfriendly act.
At this time the Russian Ministry of Defense is developing a set of measures to respond to such incidents.
Military action against terrorists in Syria will continue.
Turkey analyst Aaron Stein offers some comments on the downing of the Su-24 jet by Turkey this morning.
The BBC's defense correspondent Jonathan Beale has more from U.S.-led Coalition spokesman in Baghdad Col. Steve Warren, who has confirmed that the Russian jet did not respond to warnings from Turkey.
The Pentagon also says that the status of the Russian pilots is currently unknown.
Warren has also commented on Russia's air strikes in Syria. He says Russia has exaggerated the impact of its strikes, most of which have not been against IS targets.
Rosturizm, Russia's Federal Agency for Tourism, "does not recommend that Russian tourists visit Turkey," the agency's chief has said, according to TASS.
The United States has said that U.S.-led coalition strikes against IS in Syria are not impacted by the downing this morning of a Russian Su-24 jet by Turkey, Reuters reports.
"This is an incident between the Russian and the Turkish governments. It is not an issue that involves the [U.S.-led coalition operations]," U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S.-led military campaign against IS, told a Pentagon briefing, speaking via video-conference from Baghdad.
"Our combat operations against [IS] continue as planned and we are striking in both Iraq and Syria."
Pro-Kremlin sources on Facebook are claiming that one of the Russian pilots killed following the downing of the Russian Su-24 jet was Major Sergey Alexandrovich Rumyantsev, from Chelyabinsk.
The identity of the two Russian pilots has not been officially confirmed and so far this remains a rumor.
However, some Russian news sites have also reported that the killed pilot was Rumyantsev, with the caveat that this is unconfirmed.
A VKontakte page purportedly belonging to Sergey Rumyantsev was linked in the news reports. It was last updated on September 19.
