Turkish F-16 Shoots Down Drone Approaching Airspace from Black Sea

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Turkey on Monday shot down a drone that approached its airspace from the Black Sea after the device lost control, the Turkish Defense Ministry said, amid mounting security incidents tied to the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict.

In a statement, the ministry said the unmanned aerial vehicle was “detected and tracked as part of routine procedures” before being identified as a drone that had lost control while nearing Turkish airspace.

In response, Ankara scrambled F-16 fighter jets and destroyed the drone in a secure location to avoid any risk to civilians.

“To prevent any adverse consequences, it was shot down in a safe area outside a populated area,” the ministry said.

The incident comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned against the Black Sea turning into a new front of confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. On Saturday, Erdogan cautioned that escalating military activity in the region risked destabilizing a vital maritime corridor for trade and energy.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent weeks following a series of attacks on vessels in the Black Sea. A Turkish ship was damaged on Friday in a Russian air strike near the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, only hours after Erdogan held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ankara has also voiced alarm over Ukrainian-claimed attacks on tankers linked to Russia off Turkey’s coast, which Erdogan described as part of a “worrying escalation.”

Turkey, which borders the Black Sea and lies opposite Ukraine and Russia-annexed Crimea, has sought to balance its relations with both Moscow and Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

While supplying Ukraine with military equipment, including drones, Ankara has also maintained close diplomatic and economic ties with Russia, positioning itself as a mediator and urging restraint to prevent the conflict from further spilling into the Black Sea.