Vladimir Putin: Terrorists Use Money Made in Turkey to Launch Attacks against West and Africa

THE TELEGRAPH: Russian president says God is punishing the ruling elite of Turkey by taking away their sanity after the deaths of Russian servicemen when Turkey shot down its warplane

Vladimir Putin has launched another scathing attack on Turkey, vowing not to forget its shoot down of a Russian plane, as he opened his annual state of the nation address to parliament, discussing security and Syria.

The Russian president pulled no punches and claimed God was punishing Turkey's leaders by "stripping" away their insanity [sic].

"We will not forget this complicity with terrorists. We always considered and will always consider treachery to be the ultimate and lowest act. Let those in Turkey who shot our pilots in the back know this," Mr Putin told politicians in his address.

Mr Putin told the country that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) was a "barbaric ideology", suggesting the group were like Nazis that the world must come together and fight against.

"In the 20th century, when people were not willing to join forces to fight Nazism they had to pay for that with tens of millions of innocent lives. Today we face this barbaric ideology, and we should set aside our differences and unite in one anti-terrorist front under international law and the United Nations."

He added: "Terrorists in Syria pose a special threat. They receive money and weapons, build up their forces, and if they win there sooner or later they will come back to Russia and we will have to fight them here.

"Our forces fight in Syria for Russia - for the security of our people, first and foremost. In fighting terrorism Russia is acting with extreme responsibility."

Mr Putin then addressed the escalating war of words with Turkey, claiming yet again that Ankara let Isil terrorists sell oil, an allegation Turkey denies strongly.

"We know who it is who profits in Turkey by letting terrorists sell oil there. Terrorists use that money to plan attacks against us, France, Mali and others. It was in Turkey that terrorists from the north Caucasus used to find refuge, and some of them are still there." » | Roland Oliphant, Moscow | Thursday, December 3, 2015

Russia: ‘Allah Decided to Punish Turkey’s Leaders by Making Them Lose Their Minds’ - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on Russia's relations with Turkey in the wake of Turkey's downing of a Russian Air Force jet, during his state of the nation address in Moscow on Thursday.

Turks in Russia Hit by Putin's 'Serious Consequences' after Downing of Warplane

THE GUARDIAN: Tens of thousands of Turks fear their lives have irrevocably changed amid diplomatic war between Russian and Turkish leaders


Vildan Seçkiner was looking forward to seeing the sights of St Petersburg during her first trip to Russia. Instead, the 32-year-old was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for 16 hours, threatened, and deported. Her crime: holding Turkish citizenship.

Seçkiner, a post-doctoral researcher who lives in Romania, had also planned to give a lecture to a small group of students during her visit, but was stopped at passport control and taken to a holding room. Police told her she could not enter Russia as she did not have a hotel booked, but made it clear the real reason was her Turkish passport.

“When they took me to the transit area, there were many Turkish citizens there also being deported. Some had been waiting for 48 hours. Many of them were workers, who had personal belongings in Moscow and didn’t know how they were going to get them back. Others had Russian wives or girlfriends they were planning to visit,” Seçkiner told the Guardian from Bucharest. » | Shaun Walker in Moscow | Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Ankara's Decision to Shoot Down Russian Plane Was Wrong, Says Leading Turkish Politician

Figen Yuksekdag, co-chairman of pro-Kurdish HDP, criticised
Turkey's shoot down of a Russian war plane as "wrong"

THE TELEGRAPH: Exclusive: Figen Yuksekdag, Turkey's most powerful female politician, says Ankara wrongly hit Russia, an ally in the fight against Isil, and the shoot down could risk further tension in the region

Ankara's decision to shoot down a Russian fighter jet has escalated tensions in an already fragile region and undermined efforts to build a global coalition against Isil, according to Turkey's leading opposition politician.

Figen Yuksekdag, Turkey's most powerful female politician and co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), said shooting the warplane meant that Ankara hit an ally in the fight against Isil.

Russia is not part of the US-led coalition bombing Isil positions. However, after the Paris terror attacks on November 13 which killed 130 people, the EU and other countries are seeking a worldwide anti-Isil coalition including Moscow after a UN resolution called for "all necessary measures" to tackle the Islamic extremist threat. » | Raziye Akkoc | Tuesday, December 1, 2015

US State Department Refuses to Openly Confirm Russian Jet Was Hit in Syrian Airspace

The downing of Russia’s bomber by Turkish fighter jets in Syrian airspace last week has been dominating world news. RT’s Gayane Chichkyan has been following the US reaction.

Belgium: No Turkish PM or President Will Apologise for Doing Duty - Davutoglu

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that protection of Turkish borders and airspace is "not only a right, but a duty for my government," and therefore "no Turkish Prime Minister, or President or authority will apologise because of doing our duty," following the downing of a Russian military jet by the Turkish airforce, ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, in Brussels, Monday.

Did Turkey Just Say SORRY to Russia? President Grovels as Putin Retaliates for Downing Jet

EXPRESS: RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin has ordered SANCTIONS against Turkey as tensions between the two nations reach boiling point.

President Putin today called for a ban on Turkish goods, and demanded extensions of labour contracts for Turks working in Russia be forbidden - just days after Turkey downed a Russian warplane.

The decree, published on the Kremlin website, also called for ending chartered flights from Russia to Turkey and for Russian tourism companies to stop selling vacation packages that would include a stay in Turkey.

A final blow will see an end to visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey, as well as the tightening of control over Turkish air carriers in Russia "for security reasons". » | Levi Winchester | Saturday, November 28, 2015

Russia: Erdogan Effigy Burns at Protest against Su-24 Downing

A group of activists gathered in Simferopol's Lenin Square, Crimea, on Friday, where they burned a straw figure with a picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a Russian Su-24 fighter jet was shot down by NATO member Turkey.

Germany: 'Turkey Must Pay' for Death of Su-24 Pilot, Say Protesters in Berlin

Protesters rallied in front of the Turkish embassy in Berlin, Friday, over the downing of Russian Su-24 warplane by NATO member Turkey, claiming that the country should be responsible for the death of the Russian pilot.

Russia Imposes Sanctions on Turkey over Downed Plane

A protester at a rally in Moscow on Wednesday holds a placard
reading 'Don't go to Turkey'.

THE GUARDIAN: Russian prime minister says punitive steps could include halting joint economic projects, restricting financial transactions and changing customs duties

Russia has announced that it will impose import sanctions on Turkey and cancel major investment projects as the spat between the two countries over the downed Su-24 fighter jet continues.

The Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, said broad punitive steps could include halting joint economic projects, restricting financial and trade transactions and changing customs duties. There were calls to ban imports of all Turkish produce, while in the city of Krasnodar, dozens of Turkish workers were rounded up and arrested for visa violations.

Already, the country’s tourist board has suspended all tours to Turkey, a move that it estimated would cost the Turkish economy $10bn (£6.6bn). Russia also said it was suspending all military cooperation with Turkey, including closing down an emergency hotline to share information on Russian airstrikes in Syria. » | Shaun Walker in Moscow | Thursday, November 26, 2015