Syrian Arab Air Force

The Su-35 fighter performing on Air Force Day in Lipetsk - Photo: Artem Zhitenev/Sputnik

Moscow is terminating its communication channel with the United States under a memorandum for preventing incidents in Syria's skies, as a consequence for the US downing a Syrian Su-22 plane, Russia's Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

Russia has informed Turkey that the violation of Turkish airspace near the Syrian border on Oct. 3 was due to a ?navigation error,? according to Russian sources. 

Two Turkish warplanes crashed during a training exercise on Feb. 24 in the central Turkish province of Malatya, killing all four crew, the military said.

Contact was lost with the RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft after they took off from Malatya air base on Feb. 24 evening for planned night training, a statement on the Chief of Staff's website said.