Fact check: Turkey shot down Russian warplane and nothing happened

1. Summary of the results

The statement that "nothing happened" after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane is demonstrably false. The incident occurred on November 24, 2015, when a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24 aircraft near the Syria-Turkey border ^[1]. This was a historically significant event, being the first destruction of a Russian/Soviet warplane by a NATO member state since 1953 ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The incident involved conflicting narratives:

• Turkey claimed the Russian aircraft violated its airspace for 17 seconds and was warned 10 times ^[2]
• Russia maintained the jet never left Syrian territory and denied receiving any warnings ^[1]

The aftermath included significant consequences:

• Diplomatic: Russia cancelled military contacts, suspended visa-free travel, and Foreign Minister Lavrov cancelled his Turkey visit ^[2]
• Economic: Russia imposed broad sanctions, including:

Ban on charter flights to Turkey

Restrictions on Turkish imports

• Prevention of Russian tourism to Turkey ^[2]
• Military: Russia deployed advanced S-300F and S-400 missile systems and increased military operations in Syria ^[2]

Important contextual background: The incident occurred amid existing tensions between Russia and Turkey over Syria, particularly regarding Russia's bombing of ethnic Turkmen rebels ^[3].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement "nothing happened" represents a severe oversimplification that:

• Ignores the complex geopolitical context of Russian-Turkish relations
• Overlooks the significant economic impact on both countries
• Disregards the military escalation that followed

Beneficiaries of this narrative:

• Those seeking to downplay NATO-Russia tensions might benefit from minimizing the incident's significance
• Groups opposing military intervention in Syria could use this narrative to suggest limited consequences for military confrontations
• The Turkish government might benefit from downplaying the economic consequences of their military action

The reality shows that the incident had far-reaching consequences, including Putin's accusation of Turkey supporting terrorists and Russia's introduction of a bill criminalizing Armenian genocide denial ^[2], demonstrating how a single military incident can trigger multiple diplomatic, economic, and military responses.