Ankara gave Moscow ground for war, but Russia has refused to respond 'symmetrically', Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told journalists answering the question on Russian Su-24 downing by Turkish F-16 over Syria. "Naturally, the war is the worst option. As a matter of fact, Turkey has violated all international law standards, they committed an act of aggression againat us and basically gave ground for war. However we decided against a tit-for-tat response," Dmitry Medvedev said. On November 24, the Russian Su-24 aircraft crashed in Syria after being downed by a Turkish jet. Ankara said that the attack came in response to the violation of Turkish airspace by the Su-24. Both the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Russian bomber never crossed into Turkish airspace. The Russian president described the Turkish attack as a "stab in the back" carried out by "accomplices of terrorists."
