MOSCOW. Nov 26 (Interfax) - Russia believes Tuesday's attack on its Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft by the Turkish Air Force was a planned act of provocation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We have serious doubts that this [the attack on the Su-24] was an unintended act. This looks very much like a planned act of provocation," Lavrov said at a press conference on Wednesday.
"We have quite a large amount of information confirming that this was a premeditated and planned act. Some of our partners that contacted us yesterday said this was an obvious ambush: they were waiting, following, and looking for a pretext," he said.
"It's hard for me to say why this was done. After all, there could be domestic political considerations, although Turkey has just held elections. And there could be considerations related to relations with foreign partners, allies, and elder brothers. I won't guess and conjecture," he said.