Ankara – The Turkish prime minister says Turkey has taken delivery of the body of a Russian pilot who was killed after Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian warplane.
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Ahmet Davutoglu says the pilot’s body was brought to the border province of Hatay “through Turkey’s initiatives” early on Sunday and will be flown back to Russia. He said the local Orthodox church in Hatay performed religious rites for the pilot.
Turkey shot down the plane on Tuesday after it entered its airspace from Syria, ignoring several warnings.
The two pilots parachuted out of the plane but were shot at by Syrian rebels on the ground. One of the pilots, Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov, died.
Turkey’s action drew strong reaction from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called for sanctions against Turkey.
Flown back by which country’s plane and whose guarantee that plane won’t be shot down?