(Recast) Russian warship passes through Bosphorus with soldier onboard holding missile

A Russian warship has recently passed through Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait with a soldier onboard holding a surface-to-air missile, an act Turkey's top envoy called "a provocation," local media reported on Sunday.

The private NTV broadcasted pictures showing a soldier holding a missile on his shoulder in a shooting position as the Russian Ceaser Kunikov warship passed from the Bosphorus toward the Mediterranean Sea.

As Ankara and Moscow are still wrangling over the downing of a Russian warplane, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described the display of a missile by the Russian soldier as "a provocation."

"I hope there won't be any repetition," the minister said.

Warships passing from Turkey's Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits with soldiers carrying arms are also against the spirit of the 1936 Montreux Convention, said military analysts who spoke to Turkish media.

The 31-km-long Bosphorus has seen an intense traffic of warships these days after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on Nov. 24.

Russia has slapped a set of sanctions against and escalated war of words with Turkey, after Ankara refused to apologize for the incident.

Three NATO warships on Sunday dropped anchor off Istanbul's Sarayburnu coast, as the military alliance has voiced support for Turkey, a NATO ally.

The NATO warships consisted of Portugal's F-334 NRP Francisco de Almeida, Spain's F-105 ESPS Blaz de Lezo and Canada's FFG-338 HMCS Winnipeg. They are reportedly on a routine mission and will stay in Istanbul till Monday. Enditem