Russia has a habit of peddling misinformation – and was fully aware of the rules Turkey was playing byVladimir Putin has called the shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkey “a stab in the back”,and warned of “serious consequences”. His emotional response was in sharp contrast to earlier, more measured statements from Moscow, and calling for patience while the details of what happened became clear. The Russian president’s indignant personal involvement is alarming,as it could lead to hazardous and harmful Russian responses regardless of the rights or wrongs of the incident.
Tensions between the two countries had already been rising. The shooting down of the plane comes the day after Turkey called for a UN security council meeting to discuss Russian actions in Syria, following the summoning of the Russian ambassador in Ankara to hear a protest over air attacks on Turkmen villages.
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Source: theguardian.com