BREAKING: Russia’s ambassador to Turkey shot in Ankara

The Russian ambassador to Ankara has been seriously wounded in a gun attack on Monday and taken to hospital.

Andrey Karlov has represented Russia in Turkey since 2013.

According to initial reports, Karlov was making a speech at a photo exhibit in the capital when he was shot in the back.

According to Russian TV, the ambassador had been attending an exhibition called “Russia as seen by Turks”.

Karlov was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Three other people were reportedly hurt.

Further gunfire has been heard, according to CNN Turk, and the gunmen is reportedly still at large.

Turkey has seen a wave of terrorist attacks in the last year, for which the government have mainly blamed Kurdish militants.

However, Isis are also widely suspected of having operated in the country.

Russian and Turkey have had a tense relationship in recent times, and both support rival factions in the Syrian conflict.

However, after relations reached their lowest point after Turkey shot down a Russian jet in 2015, Ankara and Moscow made efforts to improve diplomatic links.

Source: The Independent, BBC, Russian news agencies

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