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December 19,2016
A day before the Turkish foreign minister is traveling to Moscow, Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov,is shot-dead in Ankara. He was shot as he was preparing to deliver speech at art exhibition.
He was shot five times. No official response from Russia so far. There are reports that the attacker is killed but it does not seem to be confirmed. The attacker shouted “Allah Kuber”, reported RT.
Russian Foreign ministry is expected to issue an official statement.
There seem to be a sense of shock in Moscow. There are fears that the incident might trigger conflict between Turkey and Russia. Both countries were at loggerhead after Russian pilot was shot along Syria-Turkish border last year after Russian fighter jet was shot by Turkish air force. The incident triggered economic sanction on the part of Russia against Turkey from which Turkish economy was reportedly in a disadvantageous position.
Pictures of the ambassador right before he was shot. pic.twitter.com/B5k8foVCjp
— Gilgo (@agirecudi) December 19, 2016
After months of deadlock, relation between Russia and Turkey improved recently following apologies by Turkish president Erdogan. Turkey is in a state of emergency following attempted coup against Erdogan.
RT has more coverage on the breaking news from Ankara.