Russia Calls For UN Session On Turkish Threat Of Syria Operation

Russia's Foreign Ministry says it plans to call a session of the United Nations Security Council on February 19 to discuss statements by the Turkish government about a possible ground operation in Syria.

A statement on the ministry's website said Russia plans to submit a draft resolution that demands an end to "actions that threaten Syria's sovereignty."

Russia has been backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime with air strikes that have targeted groups that are fighting Assad's forces.

It also has been supporting the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is trying to advance near Turkey's southern border to link a Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria with territory under its control in northeastern Syria.

Turkey considers the PYD to be a terrorist group and has launched artillery barrages across the border in a bid to slow the Russian-backed Syrian advance.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax