Vitaly V. Kuzmin / vitalykuzmin.net
Russian Su-34 fighter bombers flew in Syria for the first time with air-to-air missiles for self-defence on Monday, a Russian air force official told Russian news agencies, less than a week after a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian jet, Reuters reported.
Igor Klimov, the Russian Aerospace Forces spokesman , said the air-to-air missiles were capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 60 kilometres (37.28 miles), according to Reuters.
Read alsoReuters: Kremlin says Putin "fully mobilized" to tackle threat from Turkey As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called Turkey's attack against the Russian Su-24M aircraft an act of aggression toward Russia and ordered the government to develop defense, diplomatic and economicrestrictive measures against Ankara.