A Russian plane carrying the body of the ambassador assassinated in Turkey landed on Tuesday in Moscow, met by the top Russian and Turkish diplomats.

Andrei Karlov's coffin and his widow travelled back to Russia after the veteran diplomat was shot dead by a 22-year-old Turkish policeman at an art exhibit in Ankara on Monday in what Moscow called an "act of terror".

TV footage from the Vnukovo airport showed Karlov's widow and another relative led off the plane by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who met the two women after the landing.

The coffin was carried by an honour guard and loaded onto a hearse to the sound of sombre music from a military band.