ANKARA, December 19./TASS/.  An armed man broke into the premises of a contemporary art gallery in Ankara on Monday where the opening ceremony of the photo exhibition 'Russia as Seen by the Turks' was underway, eyewitnesses told TASS.

They said the man committed an assassination attempt at Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

The attacker made shots at the ambassador when he was ending his speech. After the shots, Karlov fell on the floor.

Karlov has been taken to hospital with a gunshot wound, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has told reporters.

"Today, an unidentified person opened sporadic fire during a public event," the diplomat said. "Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov received a gunshot wound," she said.

A suspected assassin of the ambassador was eliminated in the course of a special police operation, NTV television channel reported on Monday.

A minimum of three people received wounds during the shooting, according to NTV television channel.