Slain diplomat Karlov buried in Moscow

By Hakan Ceyhan Aydogan

MOSCOW (AA) - Slain Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov was buried Thursday at the Khimki cemetery in northern Moscow.

Karlov's coffin was covered by a Russian flag and a military orchestra played during the funeral ceremony.

A pre-burial service was conducted by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia in the capital's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Thursday noon, senior Russian leaders attended a memorial for Karlov at the country’s foreign ministry, where Karlov's family, President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and ministry staff were present.

Karlov died on Monday after being shot multiple times at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara. He was delivering a speech when the assailant, 22-year-old Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, opened fire.

Putin postponed a major annual news conference to attend Thursday’s ceremony.

He also signed an executive order awarding Karlov the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, the Kremlin said in a statement on Wednesday.

* Diyar Guldogan in Ankara contributed to this report