Russia accuses Turkey of shooting down jet to 'defend Isis oil supplies'
'We have received additional data which confirm that Islamic State oil... enters the territory of Turkey'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Vladimir Putin says the reason Turkey shot down a Russian jet last week was because it wanted to protect supplies of oil from Isis.
Speaking at the global climate conference in Paris, the Russian President added the decision to shoot down the Su-24 was a "huge mistake".
"We have received additional data which confirm that Islamic State oil... enters the territory of Turkey," Mr Putin said.
"The decision to shoot down the plane was dictated specifically by a desire to defend supplies."
While Turkish officials say the warplane violated Turkish airspace and had been warned repeatedly, Moscow says the aircraft was over Syria, where Russia is carrying out a bombing campaign to support President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Mr Putin had previously said reconnaisance footage, shared with world leaders at the G20 summit earlier this month, showed oil being smuggled through rebel-held Syria and into Turkey "day and night".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls claims his country buys oil from Isis "slander".
On Sunday, President Putin signed a decree imposing a number of sanctions against Turkey.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments