Putin orders military to take tough action against threats in Syria

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Putin orders military to take tough action against threats in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Moscow - "I would like to warn those who would once again try to organise some sort of provocations against our servicemen," he said.

By AFP

Published: Fri 11 Dec 2015, 4:10 PM

Last updated: Fri 11 Dec 2015, 6:38 PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered his forces in Syria to take tough action against any threats, speaking two weeks after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in the war-torn country.
"I order you to act as tough as possible," he told a defence meeting.
"Any targets threatening the Russian grouping or our land infrastructure should be immediately destroyed."
"I would like to warn those who would once again try to organise some sort of provocations against our servicemen," he said.
Last month, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on the Syrian border, claiming it violated Turkish airspace.

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After the downing of the jet, which led to the deaths of a pilot and another serviceman who tried to rescue him, Russia introduced economic sanctions against Turkey and beefed up its firepower at its airbase in Syria.
Putin's call for a tougher military response is also likely to cause concern among monitors who have repeatedly accused Russia of conducting an indiscriminate bombing campaign and killing civilians in Syria.
Putin rejected claims that Russia is using the Syrian campaign, which also saw the military fire off cruise missiles from warships in the Caspian Sea, to showcase its top weapons to the West.
"Our actions there are not guided by some unclear abstract geopolitical interests, nor are they guided by a desire to practice and test new weapons systems which is of course important in itself," Putin said.
"The most important thing is to prevent the threat to Russia itself."