Beyond Politics: Turks Applaud Russian Anthem During Football Game

Turkish supporters cheered the Russian national anthem during a game between the women’s national football teams of Russia and Turkey, said Ivan Genkenev, an official representative of the Russian team, according to Gazeta.ru.

According to Genkenev, the mood at the Turkish stadium was calm although there were almost 3,000 Turkish supporters in the stadium.

"The situation was perfectly normal…  Fans behaved very well. Everyone applauded the Russian anthem and after the game they thanked our team. We cheered [Turkish fans] in response. They supported their own players and our players. We didn't feel any negative feelings," the Russian women's national football team representative said.

The game itself ended in a 0-0 draw. Both teams are in Group 5, trying to qualify for the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship in the Netherlands. The draw allowed both teams to gain a point and now they're sharing the 4^th and the 5^th positions, respectively. Germany currently leads the group with 12 points.

Regardless of what's going on politically between the two countries, Turkish fans stayed sympathetic to Russia. Football once again proved to be beyond politics.

Relations between Russia and Turkey became strained after the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber on Tuesday.

Several hundred people gathered on Wednesday in front of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow to protest Ankara's actions. Some protesters were holding Russian and Syrian flags, as well as placards condemning Turkey's actions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Turkish attack on the Russian plane as a "stab in the back" carried out by "accomplices of terrorists."