Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on Wednesday that the “very scary” attacks on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea in recent days pose a danger to everybody in the region.
He said that the strikes, which took place inside Turkey’s exclusive economic zone, are disrupting commercial traffic and violating navigational safety, according to Reuters.
Fidan raised the issue with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels, as well as with his counterparts from Bulgaria and Romania, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters.
Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria – three states sharing the Black Sea coastline – are examining options to reinforce security, Fidan said.
His comments follow a series of assaults on tankers tied to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. Several of the incidents have been linked to Ukraine, though Kyiv has unequivocally denied one attack and declined to comment officially on the others.
On Friday, two sanctioned tankers, the “Kairos” and “Virat,” were struck almost simultaneously off Turkey’s Black Sea coast as they made their way toward Novorossiysk.
A source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for those attacks, saying: “Modernized Sea Baby naval drones successfully targeted the vessels.”
The pattern continued on Monday, when an oil tanker carrying diesel sustained four external blasts near Dakar, Senegal, its manager reported, noting that investigations into the cause were ongoing.
Then on Tuesday, a Russian-flagged tanker transporting sunflower oil was hit by a drone off the Turkish coast, Turkey’s maritime authority confirmed. No crew members were injured.
Ukraine firmly denied that it was involved in the incident, with Heorhiy Tykhy, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, writing on social media: “Ukraine has nothing to do with this incident, and we officially refute any allegations of such kind made by Russian propaganda.”
The wave of attacks has driven up insurance premiums for Black Sea shipping and prompted Istanbul-based Besiktas Shipping to suspend its Russia-linked operations over safety concerns.
According to a Reuters source, Fidan and his Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts underscored the need to preserve free trade across the Black Sea, protect vital infrastructure and safeguard shipping lanes, while stressing adherence to international law.
Ankara has branded the strikes on commercial vessels unacceptable and urged “all parties” to halt them. A Turkish official said this specifically includes the Ukrainian authorities.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the drone attacks on Friday as a “worrying escalation”.
“We cannot under any circumstances accept these attacks, which threaten the safety of navigation, the environment and lives in our exclusive economic zone,” he said on Monday evening.
The news came after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday condemned the attacks on Moscow’s tankers and said that he would consider “retaliatory measures” against vessels belonging to countries that support Ukraine if they continue.
He also promised to “expand the range of strikes” on Ukrainian ports and visiting vessels in order to “cut Ukraine off from the sea.”