Russian protesters pelt Turkish embassy in Moscow with eggs and smash windows after jet downed

Demonstrators gathered in their hundreds to vent anger at the downing of a Russian plane

Russian protesters have pelted the Turkish embassy in Moscow with eggs and smashed its windows in an angry demonstration following the downing of a plane.

Vladimir Putin warned of “serious consequences” over Turkey’s decision to shoot down the Su-24, which passed into Turkish airspace for 17 seconds while conducting bombing missions in neighbouring Syria on Tuesday.

Demonstrators gathered outside the embassy on Tuesday night and hundreds of people massed again today, brandishing posters with slogans including “backstab Russia and we will not forgive” and “Turkey = Isis”.

Protesters hold placards and shout slogans as they take part in an anti-Turkey picket outside the Turkish embassy in Moscow on November 25, 2015. (AFP/Getty Images)

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a former ally of Mr Putin, was the target of much of the anger.

One poster branded him “ErdoganLaden”, in a reference to the late al-Qaeda leader, while others called him a “killer”.

Protesters were seen hurling eggs and rocks at the Turkish embassy as civil servants and diplomats worked inside, while slogans were shouted through megaphones and demonstrators held their fingers up to swear at embassy staff.

Police cleared the area in the early afternoon and several arrests were made.

Protesters take part in an anti-Turkey picket outside the Turkish embassy in Moscow on November 25, 2015. (AFP/Getty Images)

It came as Russia’s foreign minister claimed Turkey committed a “planned provocation” and “deliberate act”.

But Sergei Lavrov insisted that Russia is “not going to wage war on Turkey”, change its attitude to its ally or seek revenge against Turkey with economic sanctions or trade cuts.

In a letter to the United Nations, the Turkish government said that the jet “violated Turkish national airspace” in the disputed Hatay province for 17 seconds and had been warned 10 times in the previous five minutes to change course.

A policeman walks past the Turkish Embassy with broken window planes in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015. (AP)

The Prime Minister defended the action yesterday and said he would not hesitate to take all steps to protect the country's security, calling it Turkey's “national duty.”

But today Ahmet Davutoglu was seeking to reduce tensions with Moscow, saying that Russia is Turkey's “friend and neighbour” and insisting relations cannot be “sacrificed to accidents of communication.”

He told MPs that Turkey did not know the nationality of the plane that was brought down until Moscow announced it was Russian and that it was not an act of aggression.

One of the two pilots, Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov, was killed by anti-Assad rebels who opened fire as they parachuted to the ground. He has posthumously been made a Hero Of The Russian Federation.

Co-pilot Captain Konstantin Murahtin, who managed to evade rebels and was safely returned to his base by special forces, has been awarded Russia's Order Of Courage, as has Naval Infantry Soldier Alexandr Pozynich, who was killed in a helicopter searching for the pilots.

Additional reporting by AP