In the presence of foreign experts, Russian officials on Friday opened the damaged black box of a warplane shot down by Turkey, promising a transparent probe into the incident. Russian officials opened the orange-painted flight recorder as experts from China and Britain watched the procedure, an AFP correspondent saw.
Wearing lab coats, technicians used screwdrivers, drills, and even a vacuum cleaner as they opened the device under the watchful eyes of military personnel and dozens of journalists in a live national television broadcast. The findings will be revealed on Monday, the air force said. Sergei Dronov, the deputy head commander of the Russian air force, said the device was being analysed “openly for the Russian and international public” after President Vladimir Putin had ordered that it be opened only in the presence of foreign specialists.