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No warning, says pilot

A Russian airman who has survived the downing of his warplane says Turkish jets did not issue any warnings. Capt. Konstantin Murakhtin said Wednesday on Russian television that his plane was flying over Syrian territory and didn't violate Turkish airspace.

Muravkin was rescued early Wednesday by Russian and Syrian commando and was speaking in televised comments from the Russian Hemeimeem air base in Syria

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels say Russian forces are pounding insurgent-held areas in Syria's Latakia province, unleashing a wave of airstrikes on mountains near where the jet was shot down.

Jahed Ahmad, a spokesman for a rebel brigade in the region affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, says the Russians appear to be taking "revenge" for the plane's downing by Turkey, a key backer of the rebels in the area.

Speaking from inside Syria via Skype on Wednesday, he says the Russian jets were providing cover for advancing Syrian ground forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies.

Syrian TV also reported advances by Syrian forces in Lattakia province Wednesday.

And in Russia, the Russian Association of Travel Agencies says several Russian agencies have stopped selling package tours to Turkey.

Turkey, along with Egypt, has long been a top destination for Russian tourists.

The travel industry group said in a statement Wednesday that several major travel agencies are no longer selling tours to Turkey following an official travel warning about a potential threat to Russian citizens there. The move comes a day after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border, provoking Moscow's indignation.

Travel association vice-president Dmitry Gorin was quoted by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency as saying he expects the agencies will have to reimburse to 6,000 tourists whose vacations will be cancelled.

On the streets, protesters have hurled eggs and stones at the Turkish embassy in Moscow.



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