Turkey warns Russia and Ukraine over downed drones in Black Sea

Political tension continues after two unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) entering Turkish airspace over the Black Sea have been shot down.

The Ministry of National Defence (MND) made a statement about a UAV, which entered the airspace from the Black Sea direction and was shot down in the skies over Ankara on December 15, and stated that they warned Russia and Ukraine.

"As a result of the evaluations made, in order to maintain the safety of the airspace and to protect the safety of life and property of our citizens, the UAV, which appeared to be out of control, was followed by our F-16 aircraft, and following the completion of the procedures, it was shot down with a controlled intervention at the most appropriate place," the statement said:

"Due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, our interlocutors have been warned that both sides should be more careful about such negativities regarding the security of the Black Sea."

No information was provided on which country the UAV belonged to and whether it was carrying anything.

According to the Ministry of National Defence, the destroyed UAV was broken into very small pieces and scattered over a wide area. This makes it difficult to detect debris. Nevertheless, the ministry stated that search-scanning and technical investigation activities are being carried out meticulously by the relevant units.

A second UAV was downed on Saturday found in an empty field near the town of Balıkesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul. It is suspected to be of Russian origin, say local authorities.

It is the third incident of its kind since Monday.

Is there a security weakness?

The downing of the vehicle by F-16s had raised questions about whether the radar system was working. Namık Tan, a CHP Istanbul deputy and former ambassador, asked: "Is our radar system insufficient to detect in time a drone that violates our airspace and can reach the skies over the capital city, the heart of the state, and over all our critical defence industry facilities?"

The Ministry of National Defence, on the other hand, rejected these allegations and stated the following:

"The control of our airspace is provided on a 24/7 basis with a layered and integrated architecture covering radar, early warning, electronic warfare and interception elements. Air defence systems are expected to detect, identify, track and destroy the elements entering the airspace."

"The process regarding the UAV in question was successfully managed and finalised. The allegations that our air defence system is in weakness do not reflect the truth."

What is happening in the Black Sea?

The fact that the Ministry emphasised that the UAV entered Turkish airspace from the Black Sea direction brought the recent increased activity in the region to the agenda.

In the last month, there were attacks on Russian tankers in the Black Sea. Russia had also carried out some attacks in response. Some ships belonging to Turkish companies were also targeted in the attacks. Turkey condemned these attacks and called for restraint on both sides.

Firstly, at the end of November, VIRAT and KAIROS oil tankers, which were thought to belong to Russia's shadow fleet, were attacked. Turkish teams played a major role in rescuing the personnel on the tankers.

Then, in early December, another tanker named MIDVOLGA-2, which was carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, was attacked in the Black Sea. The attack occurred approximately 130 kilometres off the Turkish coast.

On 12 December, again in the Black Sea, this time in the Black Sea, the Panama flagged passenger and cargo ship 'CENK T' belonging to the Turkish company Cenk Ro-Ro was hit by a Russian missile while anchored in the port of Odessa. The ship, which was shot down while moored in the harbour, was operating in both passenger and freight transport sector, and was also carrying out regular voyages between Turkey and Ukraine.

Making a statement on this, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: "Targeting merchant ships and civilian ships will not benefit anyone. We clearly convey our warning to both sides."

However, as the events did not stop, this time a UAV was detected and destroyed over Ankara.