Türkiye has summoned Ukraine’s ambassador in Ankara after two Turkish-operated commercial vessels were struck by drones near Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse, prompting renewed warnings about the security of civilian navigation.
The Lider Bordo Mavi was reportedly hit by at least three Ukrainian drones on Wednesday, injuring five crew members and starting a fire aboard the ship. A second vessel, the Lider Kocatepe, was sent to assist but was itself attacked the following day, suffering damage that forced it to return to Samsun.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said Ukrainian Ambassador Naryman Dzhelialov was called in on Saturday and told of Ankara’s concerns, with officials stressing the need to protect people, property, shipping and the Black Sea environment.
The incidents come amid an escalation of attacks on maritime traffic connected with Russian and Ukrainian ports, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan previously calling for a moratorium on strikes against commercial shipping as the conflict increasingly spills across the Black Sea.
