22 Sep 2018 16:35

Chronology of events leading to Il-20 plane crash in Syria to be published on Sept 23 - Russian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW. Sept 22 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Defense Ministry will circulate information on the chronology of the events, which led to the crash of the Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft in Syria, on Sunday.

"On Sunday, September 23, the Russian Defense Ministry will publish detailed information on all circumstances of the crash of the Russian Aerospace Forces' Il-20 aircraft off the coast of Syria on September 17," the ministry said on Saturday.

"The minute-to-minute chronology of the tragedy will be provided with the presentation of objective evidence from the radars of the information display system on the situation in Syria on September 17 and the Israeli aviation's actions in the area of the crash," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

In the evening of September 17, Russia's Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was downed by a Syrian S-200 air defense system over the Mediterranean Sea.

According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, Israeli aircraft, which were firing missiles at Syria's Latakia, put it in the line of Syrian air defense systems' fire. He also said that Israel informed about the attack on Syria only a minute before its beginning.

Israel, in turn, laid responsibility for the incident at the door of Syria.