MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Kremlin spokesman said Thursday he regretted that the downing of Russian Su-24 bomber jet had damaged relations between the two states.
"I can only express… total misunderstanding and, of course, deep regret that the foundation, a very solid foundation of our relations built during decades was considerably damaged," Peskov said in an interview aired on Rossiya-24 broadcaster.
The Russian Su-24 bomber was brought down over Syria on November 24 by an air-to-air missile fired from the Turkish F-16 fighter in response to an alleged violation of Turkish airspace. Both Russian and Syrian defense officials confirmed that the Su-24 never crossed into Turkish airspace.
In response to the incident, Moscow introduced a set of measures against Ankara. The measures, which ban or restrict the activities of Turkish organizations in Russia and prohibit Russian employers to hire Turkish citizens, are due to take effect from January 1, 2016.
On Incitement to Terrorism and Proliferation of Extremist Ideology
Incitement to terrorism and proliferation of extremist ideology on the Internet must be stopped completely, the spokesman of the Russian president said Thursday.
International extremist groups have stepped up their efforts to indoctrinate and recruit new followers online.
Many governments, including in Russia and the United States, have been calling to disrupt terrorists’ schemes to radicalize people on the Internet.
On Investigation Into Russian Top Prosecutor’s Family
The Kremlin believes that the film investigating corruption in the family of Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika was ordered by someone, the presidential spokesman said in a televised interview on Thursday.
Chaika’s two sons are accused by Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation of having profited from their father’s connections. This and other allegations were voiced in a controversial documentary released by the nonprofit on December 1.
"I agree that this was probably done on someone’s order," Dmitry Peskov told Rossiya-24 TV channel. "There was nothing new for us [in the movie]," he added. "These materials… we saw them back in summer, but at that time other people claimed the authorship."
Peskov stressed that the investigation was focused on Chaika’s two adult sons, Artyom and Igor. The documentary alleged that several senior officials in the Russian Prosecutor’s Office had abused their position to help the two businessmen realize their ambitions.
On Monday, Chaika accused the CEO of UK-based Hermitage Capital, Bill Browder, of sponsoring a large-scale smear campaign against him. Browder denied the claim.
