Türkiye on Dec. 15 shot down a drone that "lost control" and approached its airspace from the Black Sea, its defence ministry said, following a series of security incidents linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The device "was detected and tracked as part of routine procedures" and identified as "an unmanned aerial vehicle that had lost control," the ministry said in a statement.
Türkiye dispatched F-16 fighter planes and "to prevent any adverse consequences, it was shot down in a safe area outside a populated area."
Türkiye's 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 Odessa, 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.
Türkiye has maintained close ties with both Kiev and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
