Russia Cuts All Military Ties With Turkey

"Today, in accordance with a previously made decision, all cooperation channels have been cut between the Russian Defense Ministry and the Turkish Armed Forces," ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

"This concerns all ties, not just the so-called hotline that was launched in order to avoid possible air incidents during the destruction of terrorist infrastructure in Syria," he added.

The decision has been made after Turkish fighter jets on Tuesday had shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber, which had been taking part in Russia's anti-terror campaign in Syria.

Ankara claims it downed the Russian plane because it violated Turkish airspace. Contrary to Turkey’s allegations, the Russian General Staff and the Syrian Air Defense Command confirmed that the Su-24 never crossed into Turkish airspace, citing precise objective control data.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as a "stab in the back, carried out against us by accomplices of terrorists."

Following the downing of the Su-24 bomber, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the incident would negatively affect all aspects of relations between Moscow and Ankara and recommended Russians to refrain from visiting Turkey. Cooperation in the tourism industry between Moscow and Ankara may be stopped, the Russian Federal Tourism Agency said.

Russia may also restrict or even ban Turkish vessels and aircraft from entering Russian ports and airspace, according to Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev.