Putin says of Russia's involvement in Syria: "We are not trying to be bigger Syrians than the Syrians themselves."
Putin says that North Caucasian militants -- those fighting in Syria -- are being treated and resting in Turkey.
A tweet from Putin's official account:
"Russia has reinforced its [air] group in Syria. We have deployed the S-400 system. We have shown Syria's air defense system to be in working order."
RFE/RL's Glenn Kates tweets this about Putin's comments on the Turkomans, ethnic Turks in northern Syria whom Turkey accuses Russia of targeting.
Russia had been ready to cooperate with Turkey "on sensitive issues, and after a short time, they downed the Su-24" Putin said in comments relating to the downing by Turkey of a Russian Su-24 jet near the Syrian border last month.
Putin has commented on the deployment by Russia of its S-400 anti aircraft systems to Syria in the wake of the downing last month by Turkey of a Russian Su-24 jet.
If Turkish planes violated Syrian air space before, "let them fly now," he said.
Russian President Putin says that Turkey carried out an "act of hostility" when it downed the Russian Su-24 jet near the Syrian border last month.
Putin added that Turkey then "hid behind NATO."
Putin was speaking in his annual press conference in Moscow.
Georgia's State Security Service has denied comments by the breakaway region of South Ossetia that the IS group has a presence in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge and could carry out attacks.
Irakli Beraia, the head of the State Security Service's analytical department, said comments from South Ossetia's David Sanakoev at a meeting of the Joint Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism yesterday were incorrect, according to RIA Novosti.
From our news desk:
Yazidi Woman Tells UN About Her Rape, Torture At Hands Of IS
A Yazidi woman captured last year by the Islamic State group told her tale of rape, torture, and sexual slavery before a meeting of the United Nations Security Council December 16.
Nadia Murad Basee, a 21-year-old woman from the Iraqi minority pleaded with the council to destroy IS for abducting her and thousands of other Yazidi women as "war bounty" and giving them to IS militants to use as sex slaves.
"Islamic State has made Yazidi women into flesh to be trafficked in," she said, recounting how she was abducted from her village in Iraq and transported to Mosul, which IS captured last year.
A man she was given to "forced me to serve as part of his military faction" and "humiliated me every day," including with beatings, she said.
She tried to flee several times, but was stopped by guards. Eventually she escaped and is now living in Germany. She said several of her brothers and most of the men in her village were killed by IS.
The UN is investigating whether IS committed genocide in trying to wipe out Yazidis, whose faith -- with elements of Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism -- it considers to be devil worship.
The UN Security Council is to hold its first-ever meeting of finance ministers today to adopt a wide-ranging draft resolution aimed at ramping up sanctions against the IS group and cutting off its revenue flows, AFP reports.