New York Daily News :Russian Lt. Col. Peshkov’s body is on its way through Turkey to be flown back to Russia despite a slew of sanctioned approved by Putin Saturday.Turkey pledged to return the recovered body of slain Russian pilot Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov, who was killed after escaping his F-16 jet downed by Turkish air missiles. The 45-year-old pilot’s body went unaccounted for several daysbut the Turkish government is transporting it to Ankara. It was apparently found near the Syria-Turkey border where Syrian rebels shot and killed Peshkov as he parachuted from the downed jet. His co-pilot, Captain Konstantin Murakhtin, survived by hiding for several hours.In light of tense relations with Russia over the deadly war plane spat, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said in a press conference Sunday a local Orthodox church in Hatay would perform religious rites for Peshkov.Downing of the Russian jet sparked by Murakhtin and Peshkov’s brief flight through Turkish airspace Tuesday was apparently preluded by ignored warnings to stay back.Russian President Vladimir Putin deemed the attack perpetrated by NATO member a “stab in the back” and approved economic sanctions against Turkey on Saturday, limiting flights to and from the country and unspecified Turkish imports.Turkey shot down a Russian jet Tuesday after it briefly flew through its air space. The war plane crashed into Syria. It’s unclear how the Turkish government will transport Peshkov’s body to Russia while the sanctions are in place.The fallen pilot’s family in Lipetsk and Novosibirsk initially refused to believe Peshkov had died because his body went missing. Unconfirmed reports of Syrian militants shouting “Allahu Akbar” over a scorched corpse surfaced shortly after the plane went down. A Russian marine, Alexander Pozynich, 29, was killed in the mission to rescue Peshkov and Murakhtin.News of Peshkov’s death shocked his brother, Pavel, who last spoke to him Nov. 14, according to local reports.Putin approved economic sanctions against Turkey Saturday after its military shot down a Russian war plane after it crossed into Turkish air space.”He was a role model for me in everything,” Pavel Peshkov told the Siberian Times. “Oleg was dreaming about the sky since childhood, when he collected model planes.” Pavel described Peshkov as an experienced fighter having fought in Chechnya. Peshkov leaves behind a wife, and two children, ages 8 and 16.
