Russia military censures Turkey over ‘premeditated provocation’
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman says the recent claim by Turkey that a Russian warplane had violated the NATO member state's airspace lacks any factual basis, describing the allegation as a "premeditated provocation."
"The hysteria launched by the Turkish side, that we define as unsubstantiated propaganda, looks pretty much like a premeditated provocation," Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Monday.
In the statement Konashenkov said Russia's military, instead, had in possession a video which showed "a Turkish artillery battery shelling a Syrian frontier village".
The statement added Russia's Defense Ministry is waiting for a prompt explanation from NATO, the Pentagon, and the Turkish armed forces, on the shelling incident.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had claimed on Saturday that an Su-34 Russian jet had violated Turkish airspace a day earlier and summoned the country's ambassador to “strongly protest and condemn” the alleged incident.
Moscow and Ankara have been at loggerheads over developments in Syria since a foreign-backed militancy erupted in the Arab country nearly five years ago.
Turkey seeks the overthrow of the Syrian government while Russia has been supporting Damascus in the fight against terrorism.
Tensions between the two sharply escalated on November 24, 2015 when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter jet over Syria, claiming that it had entered Turkish airspace, an accusation strongly rejected by Moscow.
Of the two pilots aboard the warplane, one was rescued with the help of the Syrian army, but the other was killed by militants.
Following the incident, Russia suspended all military deals with Turkey and imposed a list of economic sanctions on the country.
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