Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 , relations between Turkey and Russia improved significantly and the two countries came to rank among each other 's largest trade partners . Russia became Turkey 's largest provider of energy , while many Turkish companies began to operate in Russia . In the 1990s , Turkey became the top foreign destination for Russian tourists . However , both countries still stand on opposite ends when it comes to foreign policy , especially in tense issues such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , Syrian Civil War , the Kosovo conflict and have opposing views on the Armenian genocide . Relations were tense following the Russian fighter jet shootdown in November 2015 to get normalised again in 2017
Russian fighter jet shootdown
2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown
Russia–Turkey relations