Political tension continues after two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that entered Turkish airspace over the Black Sea were shot down.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) made a statement regarding a UAV, which entered the airspace from the direction of the Black Sea and crashed in the sky over Ankara on December 15, and stated that they warned Russia and Ukraine.
“As a result of the assessments made, in order to maintain the security of airspace and to protect the safety of life and property of our citizens, the drone, which appeared to be out of control, was followed by our F-16 aircraft and, after completing the procedures, was shot down with a controlled intervention in 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 cautious of such negativities regarding the security of the Black Sea,” she adds.
No information was given about which country the drone belonged to or whether it was carrying anything.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the destroyed drone broke into very small pieces and scattered over a wide area.
This makes it difficult to detect waste, writes € news.
However, the ministry stated that search-scanning and technical investigation activities are being carried out carefully by the relevant units.
A second drone crashed on Saturday and was found in an empty field near the city of Balıkesir, about three hours southwest of Istanbul.
It is suspected to be of Russian origin.
It is reported that this is the third incident of this type since Monday.
Are there any security vulnerabilities?
The downing of the drone by the F-16 had raised questions about whether the radar system was working.
Namık Tan, a CHP Istanbul MP 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, the heart of the state, and all our critical defense industry facilities?”
On the other hand, the Ministry of National Defense rejected these accusations and stated as follows.
“Control of our airspace is provided 24/7 with a layered and integrated architecture covering radar, early warning, electronic warfare and interception elements. Air defense systems are expected to detect, identify, track and destroy elements entering the airspace. The process regarding the UAV in question was successfully managed and finalized. Claims that our air defense system is weak do not reflect the truth.”
What is happening in the Black Sea?
The fact that the Ministry emphasized that the drone entered Turkish airspace from the direction of the Black Sea brought the recently increased activity in the region to the agenda.
Last month, there were attacks on Russian tankers in the Black Sea.
Russia also carried out several attacks in response.
Several ships belonging to Turkish companies were also targeted in the attacks.
Turkey condemned these attacks and called for restraint from both sides.
First, in late November, the oil tankers VIRAT and KAIROS, thought to belong to Russia’s shadow fleet, were attacked.
Turkish teams played a major role in rescuing the personnel on the tanker.
Then, in early December, another tanker called the MIDVOLGA-2, which was transporting sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, was attacked in the Black Sea.
The attack occurred approximately 130 kilometers off the Turkish coast.
On December 12, again in the Black Sea, the Panamanian-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 sank while anchored in the port, operated in both the passenger and cargo transport sectors, and also made regular voyages between Turkey and Ukraine.
Making a statement about this, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “Targeting commercial ships and civilian vessels will not benefit anyone. We convey our clear warning to both sides.” /Telegraph/