Pilot’s body downed by Russian jet presented to diplomats

The Turkish government said Sunday it has successfully retrieved the body of the Russian pilot from northern Syria and presented it to Russian diplomats on Sunday, five days after shooting down his warplane which was providing air support in Syria.

The coffin carrying Oleg Peshkov has arrived by ambulance on the tarmac of Hatay Airport in southern Turkey near the Syrian border, a Reuters photographer said.

The body was flown to the capital Ankara, where according to Russia’s RIA news agency it was met at an airfield by Moscow’s ambassador and military attache. The Russian embassy declined to comment and Turkish officials did not immediately disclose when the body would be repatriated to Russia.

The downing of the Russian jet by NATO-member Turkey has wrecked relations between the two main powers involved in Syria’s war.

The incident, the first known of its kind since the Cold War has set back efforts to forge a united front against Islamic State in the weeks since militant group claimed responsibility for mass killings in Paris and blowing up a Russian airliner, Reuters reported.

Moscow has reportedly responded toward Ankara with “fury,” calling the episode a pre-planned provocation. On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree imposing punitive economic sanctions against Turkey. Details of Turkish goods that will be banned and other measures under the decree are expected to be announced in coming days.

Since the downing of the plane, Moscow has ramped up air strikes against rebels in Syria near the Turkish border.

Civil defense workers in opposition-held territory said dozens of civilians were killed on Sunday in a strike by apparent Russian warplanes on a crowded market in the town of Ariha.

Turkey said it shot down Peshkov’s plane in its air space after it ignored repeated warnings. Russia said it was flying over Syria and was struck unprovoked. The navigator of the two-seat jet survived but a second Russian service member was killed rescuing him from northern Syria.

Turkey is part of a coalition of countries led by the United States that have been bombing Islamic State positions in both Syria and Iraq, while also calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Russia, which supports Assad, launched its own separate bombing campaign against Assad’s opponents nearly two months ago. While it says it is also targeting Islamic State, most of its airstrikes have been against other Assad opponents, including groups actively supported by Turkey, said the report.