"Allah only knows why they did it. And probably, Allah has decided to punish the ruling clique in Turkey by taking their mind and reason."
So said Russian leader Vladimir Putin in his state of the nation speech on TV in December, after Turkey shot down a Russian jet on the Turkey-Syria border. "If anyone thinks Russia's reaction will be limited to trade sanctions, they're deeply mistaken," he added. His 7,584-word speech didn't mention "Ukraine" once.
In September, when Putin fir...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.