President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered his forces in Syria to take tough action against any threats, speaking two weeks after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in the war-torn country.
“I order you to act as tough as possible,” he told a defence meeting in televised remarks.
“Any targets threatening the Russian grouping or our land infrastructure should be immediately destroyed.”
Putin’s call for a tougher military response is also likely to cause concern among monitors who have repeatedly accused Russia of conducting an indiscriminate bombing campaign and killing civilians in Syria.