Defense authorities have said the stray drone that entered the country’s airspace from the Black Sea earlier this week was shot down in a controlled manner “at the most opportune location,” rejecting claims of air defense lapses.
The method used was the "most cautious and safe approach, eliminating risks to populated areas and prioritizing the safety of civil aviation activities," Defense Ministry officials told reporters during a weekly briefing in Ankara on Dec. 18.
“The UAV, which was understood to be out of control, was tracked by our F-16 aircraft and was shot down in a controlled intervention at the most opportune location following the completion of procedures,” they were quoted as saying by local media.
Authorities said search efforts were continuing for the drone, which was scattered over a wide area in small pieces. The ministry sources also dismissed allegations of failures in air defense, calling such claims “untrue.”
Local media reported that the drone was downed in an area between Ankara’s Elmadağ district and the neighboring province of Çankırı.
The incident followed a series of security alerts in the region linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned on Dec. 13 against the Black Sea becoming an "area of confrontation" between Russia and Ukraine, following several strikes in recent weeks on ships in the region.
A Turkish vessel was damaged on Dec. 12 in a Russian air strike near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, just hours after Erdoğan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Turkish leader earlier complained of a "worrying escalation" in the Black Sea, after attacks claimed by Ukraine on tankers linked to Russia off the Turkish coast.
The two empty tankers — the Virat and the Kairos — reported explosions on Nov. 28 but no casualties. Both vessels were flying a Gambian flag and are subject to Western sanctions for transporting Russian oil in defiance of embargoes imposed after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Kairos was struck around 15:00 GMT as it headed for Novorossiysk, prompting rescuers to evacuate its 25 crew after a fire broke out. The ship was roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of where the Bosphorus Strait meets the Black Sea.
The Virat was hit later, about 400 kilometers further east, according to VesselFinder tracking data, and reported a second blast early on Nov. 29. None of its 20 crew members were injured.
Ukraine has frequently used marine drones to hit Russian ships during the war, though its operations have largely remained within the northern Black Sea.
Turkish authorities on Dec. 2 reported another incident in the Black Sea. The Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the MIDVOLGA-2 tanker, sailing from Russia to Georgia carrying sunflower oil, “reported that it was attacked 80 nautical miles off our coast” earlier that morning.
“The ship, which currently has no adverse conditions among its 13 personnel, has no request for assistance,” the agency wrote on X. The vessel was heading toward the port of Sinop along Türkiye's central Black Sea coast.
