Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his speech during a meeting with top military officials in Moscow Friday.
Speaking at a meeting with the top military brass, Putin named “strengthening of the combat potential of strategic nuclear forces and the implementation of space defense programs” as a key priority. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military has received 35 intercontinental ballistic missiles this year and put forward equally ambitious weapons modernization plans for next year despite Russia’s economic downturn.
Without naming Turkey, Putin said the military should respond in full force to any “further provocations.” He said the Russian military base in Syria has been beefed up with additional aircraft and air defense weapons.
“I order you to act in the toughest way,” Putin said. “Any targets threatening the Russian groups of forces or our land infrastructure should be immediately destroyed.”
The downing of a Russian bomber by a Turkish fighter jet on Nov. 24, the first time a NATO member shot down a Russian plane in more than half a century, has badly strained the relations between Moscow and Ankara.
Turkey said it downed the Russian plane after it violated its airspace for 17 seconds despite repeated warnings, while Russia has insisted the plane had remained in Syrian airspace. Putin has denounced the Turkish action as a “treacherous stab in the back” and ordered the deployment of S-400 long-range air defense missile systems to a Russian base in Syria.
Russia also has introduced a slew of economic sanctions, including a ban on sales of tour packages to Turkey, an important trade partner and the No. 1 destination for Russian tourists.
Turkey’s foreign minister said Friday his country is refraining from responding to Russian efforts to hit back at Turkey over the plane’s downing, but added that the country’s patience has limits. “If we are not responding to all that they have done until now, it is not because we are afraid or because any psychology of guilt,” Cavusoglu told NTV television.
Putin said the Russian military action in Syria is essential for protecting Russia from extremists based there, adding that fending off that threat is the main goal of the air campaign Russia launched on Sept. 30.
Putin said the Russian military action supporting the Syrian army offensive helped change the situation on the ground. He said that Russia was also helping some units of the opposition Free Syrian Army, which were fighting “terrorists” in Syria, providing air cover and supplying them with weapons.
Shoigu said Russian warplanes have flown 4,000 combat sorties in Syria since the launch of the air campaign there, destroying 8,000 “terrorist” targets.
He added that Russia moved 214,000 metric tons of supplies to support the military action in Syria and helped restore a tank repair factory in the Syrian province of Homs, which he said is now working at full scale.
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