Russian Envoy to Turkey Assassinated on Camera

Russian Ambassador in Turkey Killed in Terrorist Attack by Shooter Screaming "Allahu Akbar"

by ZeroHedge

December 19, 2016

Summary of the tragic events so far, in which Russia’s envoy to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, has been shot dead in Ankara by a gunman in an assassination apparently linked to Moscow’s role in Syria’s civil war.

Russian broadcaster RT.com coverage

Here are key facts and reaction summarized by BBG: 

• The Gunman shouted about Aleppo, the Syrian city where rebels were defeated this month by Russian-backed government forces, as he carried out the attack at an art exhibit, CNN- Turk television says
• Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek says man who killed ambassador was a police officer
• Attack comes amid reconciliation efforts between Russia, Turkey as nations seek to improve ties after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet over Syria last yr
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Russian President Vladimir Putin to share information after the assassination, NTV reports, citing Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin
• Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara a clear provocation aimed at derailing the Syrian peace negotiations.
• Elena Suponina, senior analyst at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies which advises the Kremlin, says attack “will only bring Russia and Turkey closer together” because it shows “we have a common enemy -- terrorism -- and only by joining forces can we deal with this enemy”
• “While Putin is unlikely to burn bridges with Turkey, he is very likely to adopt a tougher stance in Syria against the rebels,” said Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst at the Economic Policy Research Foundation in Ankara. “Russia may still be talking to Turkey at the table but it will probably have a much more aggressive stance on the ground in Syria”
• Tougher Russian stance toward Turkey could delay return of Russian tourists; lira weakened after shooting to trade 0.8% down at 3.5337/dollar at 9 pm in Istanbul
• Attack highlights fragile security situation in Turkey, where dozens of security personnel have been killed in past 10 days as a conflict between govt, separatist Kurds intensifies
• Incident unlikely to change development of conflict in Syria, says Ayham Kamel, director of Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia
• “Broadly we’re moving toward a position in Syria where the regime will incrementally consolidate its control over the trajectory of the conflict,” Kamel says
• “The Russian support for the Syrian regime will remain on track and the plan to combine a military campaign initially with support for a political solution at a later stage will not significantly change”