IT WAS "a chain of tragic circumstances" that led to the downing of a Russian spy plane by Syria on September 17th, said Vladimir Putin, Russia's president. With those words, Mr Putin seemed to accept the episode as an accident and absolve Israel of any blame. Israeli jets had earlier carried out air strikes on Syria's territory and appeared to be the intended target of its air defences. But, as the days passed, Russia grew more belligerent. Its generals claimed that Israeli jets used the Russian plane as a shield (Israel has denied this). Then, on September 24th, Russia announced plans to supply the Syrians with advanced s-300 air-defence batteries, signalling a shift in its regional strategy.
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