Türkiye downs unidentified drone approaching airspace over Black Sea

Turkish defence ministry says an unmanned aerial vehicle detected near the Black Sea was shot down in a safe area after failing to respond to control measures. Türkiye’s Defence Ministry said that an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) approaching Turkish airspace over the Black Sea was detected and tracked under routine security procedures. To ensure airspace safety, NATO-assigned and nationally controlled F-16 fighter jets were scrambled on an alert mission, the ministry said in a statement on Monday. It later emerged that the aerial track belonged to an out-of-control UAV, which was subsequently shot down in a secure area away from residential zones to prevent any risk, the statement added. The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Black Sea, where Türkiye has warned against the war in Ukraine spilling over into commercial navigation and regional trade. Ankara has recently proposed a limited security arrangement to protect shipping and energy infrastructure, recalling the UN- and Türkiye-brokered 2022 grain deal that ensured safe passage for vessels despite the conflict. The call follows a series of attacks on Turkish-linked ships in the Black Sea, including drone strikes that endangered civilian crews, prompting Turkish officials — including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — to urge restraint and stress that the Black Sea should not become an arena of confrontation.