Russian intelligence provided the Turkish government with intercepted information about preparations for a military coup before the coup began, the Iranian Fars news agency reported Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources in Ankara.
A total of 290 people were killed during the failed military coup against the government of President Recep Erdogan which began on 15 July.
Fars’ sources claim that Russian military representatives intercepted coded radiograms containing information about preparations for a coup, which were then shared with the Turkish military.
The intercepted plans included information about several helicopters traveling to the coastal resort of Marmaris, where Erdogan was staying before the coup began, Fars reported.
According to the Al Jazeera news agency, Erdogan managed to leave the hotel half an hour before coup participants arrived, planning to either arrest or kill him.
The sources did not reveal which Russian state body managed to intercept and exchange the information but it is thought that it was the Russian military’s intelligence division, located at an airbase in Khmeimim in Syria. The base, which Russia uses to launch air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, is equipped with modern technology capable of intercepting such communications.
Turkey’s military claim that their intelligence services received information of preparations for a military coup several hours before it began on 15 July at around 4 p.m. local time and subsequently informed the general staff.
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