Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov calls Turkish downing of jet a 'planned provocation'

Russia's foreign minister says the downing of a Russian war plane by Turkey was a "planned provocation."

Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow will re-consider relations with Ankara following the shooting down of the Russian Su-24 bomber on the Turkey-Syria border on Tuesday, but he didn't say what specific measures Russia would take, CBC News reported on Wednesday.

Turkey said it shot down the Russian warplane after it ignored repeated warnings and crossed into its airspace from Syria.

Lavrov said "we have no intention to go to war with Turkey."

Lavrov added that "our attitude to the Turkish people hasn't changed. "We only have questions about the Turkish leadership."

He also said that advice to Russian citizens to refrain from visiting Turkey issued on Tuesday was based on extremist threats in Turkey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered state-of-the art air defence missile systems to be deployed at a Russian air base in Syria, a move that raised the threat of a military confrontation between the NATO member and Russia.

The S-400 missile systems, which will be sent to the Hemeimeem air base in Syria's coastal province of Latakia, located just about 50 kilometres south of the border with Turkey, are capable of targeting Turkish jets with deadly precision. If Russia shoots down a Turkish plane, NATO would be required to intervene.

Sources: MENA