Abstract. The difficult economic situation in Turkey has called into question the pre-election positions of President Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party. During the election campaign, Erdogan directed the efforts of the security forces to discredit hundreds of opposition candidates. He managed to mobilize patriotic voters by touting efforts to destroy SDF units consisting mainly of Syrian Kurds. Eventually, by persuading the United States to withdraw U.S. forces from the Kurdish regions and agreeing to establish a «security zone» with Russia, he launched military operation «Spring of Peace» in northern Syria. However, cooperation with Russia and the purchase of Russian weapons has dramatically complicated Turkey’s relations with NATO allies.