Armenia says warplane shot down by Turkish F-16 fighter jet

A Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down an Armenian SU-25 warplane over Armenian territory on Tuesday, killing the pilot, an Armenian defense ministry spokeswoman said.

"An Armenian SU-25 aircraft has been shot down by a Turkish F-16 warplane ... which flew from Azerbaijan's territory," Armenian defense ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan wrote on Facebook, adding that the Armenian pilot "has heroically died."

However, Turkey's communications director Fahrettin Altun said on Tuesday that the claim by an Armenian official that Turkey shot down an Armenian fighter jet is "absolutely untrue."

"Armenia should withdraw from the territories under its occupation instead of resorting to cheap propaganda tricks," Altun said.