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Russia's response to the Il-20 downing in Syria
Summary
A look back at the measures Moscow announced after a Russian military aircraft was shot down over Syria.
What did Russia say it would do after losing a military aircraft over Syria? On 24 September 2018, Russian officials stated that the country would send the S-300 air-defence missile system to Syria within two weeks, following the downing of the Russian aircraft.
Officials also said Russia would begin jamming radar and satellite signals of planes attacking Syrian territory from the Mediterranean.
The incident behind the announcement
The aircraft was a Russian military Il-20, which Syrian air defences accidentally shot down on 17 September 2018 while responding to Israeli fighter jets. Fifteen crew members aboard were killed. The Israeli Air Force had been conducting missile strikes against multiple targets in government-controlled western Syria.
Russia blamed Israel for the loss, accusing the Israeli Air Force of hiding behind the Russian aircraft and so putting it in the line of fire. The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged striking a Syrian weapons facility and expressed sorrow for the loss of life, attributing it to Syrian fire.
Timing
The strikes came a few hours after a Russo-Turkish agreement to create a demilitarised zone around Idlib Governorate. That agreement postponed an imminent offensive by Syria's forces and its allies.
The announcements of 24 September 2018 set out two concrete steps: a delivery of the S-300 system within a stated two-week window, and electronic jamming aimed at aircraft operating against Syrian territory from the Mediterranean.
