Putin: Ankara 'not so much fights radicals as cooperates with them,' civil war underway in Turkey

The Turkish authorities are not so much fighting with the radicals, but working side by side with them instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual Q&A session, noting that there is a civil war going on in southern Turkey.

"We believe that the current Turkish leadership not so much fights the radicals, but rather cooperates with them,” Putin said.

"In fact, there is a civil war going on in southern Turkey. We try to ignore it, the international community pretends not to notice it, but it's a fact. Moreover, [the war goes on] with the use of heavy weaponry and equipment, artillery and so on,” he said, highlighting the fact that terrorist attacks take place in Turkey "nearly each week."

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Commenting on the possibility of Russian tourists returning to the ‘Turkish Riviera’, Putin said that there are no security guarantees for Russians in Turkey.

“The Turkish leadership will seek to ensure the safety of tourists, but the big question is whether they will succeed in doing this,” he added.