The one surviving pilot of the warplane which was shot down by Turkey yesterday has claimed that no warning was given – despite Turkey stating that they gave 10 separate warnings and releasing audio to support their rebuttal.

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The pilot, Captain Konstantin Murahtin, said:

There were no warnings. Not via the radio, not visually. There was no contact whatsoever.

That’s why we were keeping our combat course as usual…if they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves by heading on a parallel course.

But there was nothing. And the rocket hit our tail completely unexpectedly. We didn’t even see it in time to take evasive manoeuvres.

Murahtin’s co-pilot was killed after ejecting from the plane. A Free Syrian Army-affiliated rebel group opened fired on Lt Col Peshkov as he parachuted down and killed him instantly.

Vladimir Putin, who yesterday promised ‘serious consequences’ for Turkey, honoured the two soldiers, naming the deceased Peshkov a Hero Of The Russian Federation, and awarding Capt Murahtin Russia’s Order of Courage.

The surviving pilot, meanwhile, vowed to avenge his friend:

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I can’t wait until I get the all-clear from the medics, so that I can step back into the ranks.

I’m going to ask our command to keep me on this base [in Syria] – I have a debt to repay, for my commander.

If you haven’t already seen the video of the warplane get blown out of the sky by Turkish jets, click here.