In the run-up to the opening of the NATO summit in Ankara, the situation on the Alliance's borders has sharply deteriorated. A few hours before the arrival of heads of state, an air raid alarm was declared in Turkey. The incident, which caused panic and led to the activation of air defense systems, turned out to be the result of a malfunction of a Russian missile.
False alarm or real risk?
In the morning, shortly before the start of key negotiations, an air raid alarm sounded throughout the territory of Turkey. NATO radar systems detected a high-speed target moving from the direction of Georgia towards Turkish airspace. At that moment, the leaders of the Alliance member states were already preparing to arrive in Ankara to participate in the annual summit.
Initially, the military assessed the threat as a possible launch of a ballistic missile. In this regard, a battery of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system of the Bundeswehr, stationed in the Turkish province of Malatya, was put on full combat readiness.
Cause of the incident: missile goes off course
Later, details emerged that mitigated, but did not negate, the seriousness of the situation. The missile was not heading towards the capital of Turkey and fell into the Black Sea. After a detailed check, it became known that the alarm was caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile that deviated from its course after being launched from the territory of the unrecognized Abkhazia.
Although there was no direct threat to the lives of the summit participants, the incident caused serious concern among allies. NATO regards such cases as an additional risk factor on the external borders of the bloc, emphasizing that any violations of airspace could lead to dangerous escalation between Russia and Alliance countries.
Diplomatic curiosity: revolvers from Erdogan
Against the backdrop of the tense atmosphere in Ankara, a curious diplomatic episode also took place. During the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented the leaders of the Alliance countries with unusual commemorative gifts — combat revolvers with personalized engraving and a cartridge.
However, this gesture did not go smoothly: some delegations were unable to take the gifts out of the country due to strict restrictions on the import of firearms in their states.
