Moscow’s response to the Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft crash will be aimed at ensuring the security of Russian military personnel deployed to Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following talks with the Hungarian prime minister. This reported by TASS.

"As for retaliatory measures, they will be first and foremost aimed at additionally ensuring the security of our military personnel and facilities in Syria," he said.

The Russian leader  described the loss of the Ilyushin-20 over the Mediterranean as a result of a string of tragic circumstances and offered condolences to the victims’ relatives.

"When people get killed, particularly so, under such tragic circumstances, it is always a great misfortune to us, to the country and to the relatives of our late comrades. I offer condolences first and foremost to the relatives of those killed," Putin said at a news conference following Russian-Hungarian talks. "As for comparison with the well-known events (the attack on a Russian plane), when a Turkish fighter jet shot down our plane, it was a different situation. This time it looks like a string of tragic circumstances."