Russia has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being directly involved in the purchase of oil from the Islamic State as relations between the two former allies continues to deteriorate.
Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov claims that Turkey was the biggest buyer of “stolen” oil from produced in Islamic State territories in Iraq and Syria, one of the major sources of income for the Islamist group.
Speaking to journalists in Moscow, Antonov said:
“According to available information, the highest level of the political leadership of the country, President Erdogan and his family, are involved in this criminal business.”
Russia did not provide evidence that Erdogan was directly involved in the purchase of IS oil, but did cit satellite images of oil tankers travelling from IS territory to Turkey, with the porous border between Syria and Turkey known to be a hotbed of smuggling activity.
Erdogan has denied the claims and promises to resign if any evidence of an oil trade between Turkey and the Islamic State is uncovered.
The comments are the latest escalation of rhetoric between Russia and Turkey after a Turkish jet shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian border. Turkey claims the Russian Su-24 strayed into its airspace, but Russia maintains that its plane remained over Syrian territory.
