Turkish businessmen detained in Russia amid strained ties

ANKARA

A group of Turkish businessmen are said to have been detained by the Russian authorities for making “false statements about their trip to the country,” amid rising tension between Ankara and Moscow over the downing of a Russian jet by Turkish F-16s near the Syrian border on Nov. 24.

The group was reportedly in the Russian city of Krasnodar to attend an agriculture fair when they were detained by police on Nov. 25, one of the businessmen told private broadcaster CNN Türk. 

After their detention, a court fined each of them 4,000 Russian rubles and ordered 10 days of detention. 

Some 50 Turkish businessmen were attending the International Agriculture Fair in Krasnodar when Russian police forces took them into custody on the afternoon of Nov. 25. They then appeared before a judge early on Nov. 26. 

The court found them guilty as they had cited their reason of travel as “tourism,” despite being in Russia for commercial reasons. 

It has been reported that they will be held in a detention camp before being deported.