Russia's military says Turkey's airspace violation claim a 'provocation'

Statement says Russia awaiting explanation from NATO, Pentagon and Turkish armed forces on a village shelling incident

MOSCOW: Turkey's allegations that a Russian warplane violated its airspace are not backed by any factual data and are a premeditated provocation, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday.

"The hysteria launched by the Turkish side that we define as 'unsubstantiated propaganda' looks pretty much like a premeditated provocation," the ministry's spokesperson, Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement.



Russia's military is in possession of a video, provided by Syria's general staff of the armed forces and a Syrian opposition group, which shows "a Turkish artillery battery shelling a Syrian frontier village", the statement said.

It said Russia's Defence Ministry was awaiting a prompt explanation from NATO, the Pentagon and the Turkish armed forces on the shelling incident.