The decree,
which entered into force immediately, said charter flights from Russia to
Turkey would be banned, that tour firms would be told not to sell any holidays
there, and that unspecified Turkish imports would be outlawed, and Turkish
firms and nationals have their economic activities halted or curbed. "The
circumstances are unprecedented. The gauntlet thrown down to Russia is
unprecedented. So naturally the reaction is in line with this threat,"
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said hours before the decree was published. A senior
Turkish official told Reuters the sanctions would only worsen the standoff
between Moscow and Ankara. But aides to
Putin say he is incandescent that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has yet to
apologise for the Nov 24 incident near the Syrian-Turkish border in which one
Russian pilot was killed along with a Russian marine who tried to rescue the
crew of the downed SU-24 jet. Senior
Russian officials have called the episode, one of the most serious publicly
acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a
century, a pre-planned provocation. Erdogan has
been equally robust. He has said Turkey will not apologise for downing the jet,
saying Ankara was fully within its rights to defend its air space. On Saturday,
he appeared to soften his rhetoric a little, saying the episode had saddened
him. Putin's
spokesman suggested the Russian leader was ready for a long standoff however,
saying he was "fully mobilised" to tackle what he regarded as an
unprecedented threat from Turkey. National
security The decree,
posted on the Kremlin's website, spoke of the need to protect Russia's national
security and Russian citizens "from criminal and other illegal
activities". In it, Putin
ordered the government to prepare a list of goods, firms and jobs that would be
affected. Some of the measures announced have already been informally
introduced. The
government is expected to publish the list of banned imports on Monday,
Interfax news agency reported, citing a government source. The list is
likely to include food and some other products, a second government source
said. Turkey
mainly sells food, agricultural products and textiles to Moscow and is also one
of the most popular holiday destinations for Russians. Peskov,
Putin's spokesman, said he thought up to 200,000 Turkish citizens could be on
Russian soil. Putin signed
the decree days before a climate change summit in Paris. Erdogan said earlier
on Saturday it could be a chance to repair relations with Moscow. "Confrontation
will not bring anyone happiness. As much as Russia is important for Turkey,
Turkey is important for Russia," Erdogan said in a televised speech in the
western city of Baliksehir. Peskov said
Putin was aware of a Turkish request for him to meet Erdogan on the sidelines
of the Paris conference but gave no indication of whether such a meeting would
take place. He called
the behaviour of the Turkish air force "absolute madness" and said
Ankara's subsequent handling of the crisis had reminded him of the "theatre
of the absurd". "Nobody
has the right to traitorously shoot down a Russian plane from behind,"
Peskov told Russia's "News on Saturday" TV programme, calling Turkish
evidence purporting to show the Russian jet had violated Turkish air space
"cartoons". Turkey's
foreign ministry advised people on Saturday to postpone all non-urgent travel
to Russia. Peskov,
according to the TASS news agency, also spoke on Saturday of how Erdogan's son
had a "certain interest" in the oil industry. Putin has
said oil from Syrian territory controlled by Islamic State militants is finding
its way to Turkey. Erdogan has
spoken of slander and asked anyone making such accusations to back up their
words with evidence.