Russia will restrict flights to and from Turkey from April 15 to June 1 due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Turkey, amid growing political tensions between the two countries.

The decision to drastically cut the number of flights to Turkey, which is heavily reliant on revenue from tourism, was announced by Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, two days after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Istanbul.

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Golikova, speaking on the Russia-24 TV Channel, made no mention of politics in the decision to restrict flights to Turkey, a popular destination for millions of Russian tourists, citing instead the number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey, which have been rising since early March. 

A senior government official said earlier on Monday that Turkey's daily coronavirus infection numbers had soared above 50,000 and Erdogan was likely to order a tightening of restrictions this week ahead of the start of the tourism season.

Asked about Russia's move, Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told a news conference that a Russian delegation would visit the country's tourist destinations soon to observe coronavirus control measures.

In the latest sign of worsening relations between the two powers, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Turkey and other "responsible" nations should not feed what he described as "belligerent sentiment" in Ukraine.

Kyiv has raised the alarm over a build-up of forces near its border with Russia. It has also highlighted a rise in violence along the line of contact separating Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in the region.

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On Saturday, Erdogan, alongside Zelenskiy, expressed his readiness to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The Ukrainian leader stated: "Turkey's support for the restoration of our sovereignty and territorial integrity is extremely important."

Zelenskiy has been concentrating on building relations with Ankara. The weekend's visit was his second in six months. The two countries are currently working on a free-trade agreement that could more than double bilateral trade. 

Turkey and Russia, the two major powers on the Black Sea, have had complicated relations since pro-Russia separatists annexed Crimea in 2014. They then clashed repeatedly over the civil war in Syria, in which they backed opposing sides. However, Ankara has purchased the Russian-made S-400 missile systems, irking its NATO allies and signaling closer military cooperation with Moscow.