Russian naval landing ship Azov sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul,...
Russian naval landing ship Azov sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 6, 2015. NATO on Tuesday rejected Moscow's explanation that its warplanes violated the air space of alliance member Turkey at the weekend by mistake and said Russia was sending more ground troops to Syria and building up its naval presence. With Russia extending its air strikes to include the ancient city of Palmyra, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he was losing patience with Russian violations of his country's air space. "An attack on Turkey means an attack on NATO," Erdogan warned at a Brussels news conference. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had reports of a substantial Russian military build-up in Syria, including ground troops and ships in the eastern Mediterranean. REUTERS/Murad Sezer