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Russian Ambassador to Turkey Killed In Shooting, Foreign Ministry Says

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- Andrey Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey was shot dead at an art exhibition Monday.

Karlov, who was appointed as Moscow's man in Ankara since July 2013, was married, and had a son, according to the Russian Embassy.

He had served as ambassador at a fractious time in Russian-Turkey ties; diplomatic relations hit a low after Turkish forces shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syria border in November 2015.

In the wake of that attack, Karlov accused Turkey of encouraging an anti-Russia campaign, in an interview with Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

"Of late, Turkey more often makes unfounded accusations, in particular, that Russia's military aircraft allegedly violate the airspace," he said. "Most often, this misinformation launches anti-Russian campaigns in the Turkish mass media or becomes their part."

'Quietly spoken professional'

Richard Moore, Karlov's British counterpart in Turkey, tweeted of his shock. He described the ambassador a "quietly spoken, hospitable professional."

Karlov was born in the capital of the then-USSR in 1954, and began his diplomatic career in his early 20s, after studying at Moscow's State Institute of International Relations.

An English and Korean speaker, he previously served as Russia's Ambassador Extraordinary to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

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