Russian President Vladimir Putin bade farewell on Thursday to Andrei Karlov at a packed memorial ceremony in Moscow for the diplomat who was assassinated in Turkey by an off-duty police officer.

Dozens of colleagues and relatives attended the ceremony for Karlov, the ambassador to Turkey who was gunned down in Ankara on Monday by a man shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "Don't forget Aleppo". The ambassador fell to the ground and later died at a hospital.

Putin laid red roses at the foot of Karlov's casket and spoke with his relatives but left the ceremony without making a statement.