Tensions rise as Russia says it's deploying anti-aircraft missiles to Syria

Tensions rise as Russia says it's deploying anti-aircraft missiles to Syria

By Don Melvin, Jethro Mullen and Zeynep Bilginsoy, CNN

Updated 0157 GMT (0957 HKT) November 26, 2015

Story highlights

Turkey releases tape: "You are approaching Turkish airspace. Change your heading south immediately"
Rescued Russian co-pilot says "there were no warnings" before his plane was shot down
Russia's foreign minister says the plane's downing "looks very much like a planned provocation"

Istanbul (CNN)Tensions in the Middle East ratcheted up dangerously Wednesday, a day after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, with the Turkish President accusing Russia of deceit and Russia announcing it would deploy anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on his ministry's Twitter feed that the country would deploy S-400 defense missile systems to its Hmeymim air base near Latakia, on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

The missiles have a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles), according to the missilethreat.com website. The Turkish border is less than 30 miles away.

And Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian TV on Wednesday that Russia has "serious doubts" that Turkey's downing of its warplane Tuesday was "an unpremeditated act."

"It looks very much like a planned provocation," Lavrov said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he said was the violation of airspace by Russian warplanes, calling the incident an infringement of his country's sovereignty.

He charged Russia with propping up the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad -- a regime he said was inflicting terrorism on its own people. His remarks came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Turkey of being "the terrorists' accomplices" for shooting down a plane he claimed was on an anti-terrorism mission.

Erdogan disputed that claim in a speech.

"There is no Daesh" in the area where the Russian planes were flying, Erdogan said, using another name for ISIS. "Do not deceive us! We know the locations of Daesh."

[link to edition.cnn.com]