Russian President Vladimir Putin dubbed the downing of a Russian military plane, which cost the lives 15 people on board on Monday, a “tragic accident. He said the event was a “chain of tragic accidental circumstances”.
“It rather looks like a chain of tragic accidental circumstances,” Putin told reporters, rejecting any comparisons with the downing of a Russian jet by Turkey in 2015.
“An Israeli jet did not shoot down our plane,” Putin said.
Speaking at a news conference after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Mr Putin said the authorities would be closely looking into the incident. The Russian President will later speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Putin’s press secretary confirmed to the TASS news agency.
Mr Putin said that Russia would increase security measures for Russian personnel in Syria, while he expressed his condolences to the families of the crew of the plane.
The Russian plane was downed by a Russian-made S-200 air defence supplied to Syria.