Earlier, Russia’s defence ministry displayed satellite images it said showed columns of trucks loaded with oil crossing from IS territory in Iraq and Syria into Turkey.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has called the downing a “planned provocation” and “stab in the back” by Ankara, accused Turkey on Monday of shooting down the plane to protect oil supply lines with the Islamic State.
Tensions between Russia and Turkey reached crisis mode last week when Turkey downed a Russian jet after it reportedly ignored several warnings.
“Today, we are presenting only some of the facts that confirm that a whole team of bandits and Turkish elites stealing oil from their neighbors is operating in the region”, said Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov, Kremlin-backed RT reported.
“This oil enters the territory of Turkey in huge quantities, on an industrial scale, along a living pipeline of thousands of oil tankers”, he continued.
Antonov claimed that IS militants make $2 billion a year from the illegal oil trade.
“Turkey is taking steps to improve the security of its border with Syria, working with global partners”.
“It is not possible to explain Russia’s allegations by reason”, the Turkish Prime Minister said, adding that Russian Federation is violating global law over the “economic sanctions” it imposed on Turkish businesses.
Russian officials said their country’s bombing campaign had made a significant dent in Islamic State’s ability to produce, refine and sell oil.
Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad says Russia’s involvement in his country’s war has led to significant changes, including the “shrinking” of the Islamic State (IS) group. “But it’s not what was implied, which is that the Turkish government is somehow complicit in this arrangement, that’s just untrue”.
The briefing was dedicated to showcasing what Russian Federation says is Turkey’s connection to the oil trade with the Islamic State, and it threatens to shred whatever hope was left for a rapprochement between the two countries. “So I ask our honorable Putin, would he stay?”
But Erdogan angrily rejected the allegations.
Financial flows from the sale of oil products from Syria not only enriched top military and political leaders of Turkey, but also financed members recruitment as well as arms and munitions purchase of terrorists in Syria, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said at the press briefing.
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The defense ministry officials said the information they released on Wednesday was only part of the evidence they have in their possession, and that they would be releasing further intelligence in the next days and weeks.
