Turkey Summons Ukraine's Ambassador After Drone Strikes Hit Two Turkish-Operated Ships in the Black Sea

Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian Ambassador Naryman Dzhelialov to Ankara on Saturday, August 29, after drone strikes hit two Turkish-operated cargo ships in the Black Sea this week. Turkish officials told him plainly: stop attacking civilian vessels.

The ministry said it "warned about the absolute need to ensure the safety of people, of assets, of navigation and of the environment in the Black Sea," according to Agence France-Presse, as reported by Al Jazeera and Turkish Minute.

What Happened to the Ships

The container ship Lider Bordo Mavi was struck by three drones on Wednesday, August 26, while sailing off Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse. Daily Sabah reported the vessel flies the Cameroon flag, is operated by a Turkish company, and had left the Turkish port of Samsun around August 25 carrying fresh produce after reportedly being unable to dock at Novorossiysk. The strike caused a fire onboard. The ship was later towed back to Samsun, according to Turkish media reports cited by Al Jazeera.

A second vessel, the Lider Kocatepe, was dispatched the next day, Thursday, August 27, to assist the damaged ship. It was also targeted by drone fire, sustaining material damage before it too returned to Samsun.

Injuries: The Reports Don't Agree

Turkish Minute and Al Jazeera, both citing AFP and the Turkish Foreign Ministry directly, reported that the ministry "did not say whether anyone was killed or injured." A media aggregation from NewsCord tracking 13 outlets found the same split. Kurdistan24 and TRT World kept casualties unspecified, while İlke Haber Ajansı reported the strike injured five crew members.

Daily Sabah separately reported, citing "Turkish shipping and regional sources" rather than the ministry itself, that five crew members were injured in the Lider Bordo Mavi attack. Crypto Briefing repeated the five-injury figure as well. No source in this set has the Turkish government itself confirming a casualty count on the record.

Who Did It? Nobody Has Said So Officially

Daily Sabah reported there has been "no immediate public claim of responsibility from Ukraine for either attack." Russia has attributed similar recent strikes on commercial shipping to Ukrainian forces, but that is Moscow's characterization, not an independently confirmed fact in these reports. Turkey's own statement did not name Ukraine as the responsible party either, though the summons of Kyiv's ambassador makes clear where Ankara's suspicion lies.

A Pattern, Not an Isolated Incident

Crypto Briefing reported that Turkish ship owners say at least 22 Turkish-flagged or Turkish-operated civilian vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea over the past two months. Earlier this month, the Nadezhda cargo ship was hit near Novorossiysk, seriously injuring three crew members, according to Al Jazeera.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had already called for a halt to Black Sea shipping attacks on August 8, saying "the conflict has spread across the whole Black Sea" and that "they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction," per Turkish Minute.

Turkey occupies an unusual position in this war. It has not joined Western sanctions on Russia, maintains diplomatic ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, and has sold U.S.-made defense equipment to Ukraine. Al Jazeera noted a Turkey-Ukraine free trade agreement was ratified by Kyiv in July. Turkey also controls the Bosphorus Strait under the Montreux Convention, the only outlet from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, giving Ankara real leverage if it decides diplomatic protest isn't enough.

The shipping attacks aren't the only sign the war is spilling into NATO waters. Romanian naval forces destroyed two Russian-made Gerbera decoy drones drifting near the Neptun Deep gas project on August 11, according to the Epoch Times, with Kyiv confirming to Romanian naval command that the drones weren't Ukraine's. Bulgaria reported a drone, believed Ukrainian, exploding near the village of Kardam on August 8, calling the incursion unintentional.

Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria agreed in early July to expand a joint NATO task force, originally formed in 2024 to clear Black Sea mines, to also cover protection of critical infrastructure. Roughly 150 mines have been neutralized since the task force began, with Turkey handling most of the work, per the Epoch Times.

Ankara has called for a mutual moratorium on strikes against civilian shipping. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow has agreed to one. Whether Turkey escalates beyond summoning ambassadors, and whether it uses its Bosphorus control to pressure either side, remains the open question shipping insurers and Black Sea traders are now watching.