Turkey summoned Ukraine's ambassador in Ankara, Neriman Jalal, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with attacks on two Turkish vessels in the Black Sea. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Anadolu agency and other media outlets. According to sources in Turkey's Foreign Ministry, the incidents are regarded by Ankara as a threat to the safety of shipping in the region and required an official diplomatic response at the embassy level.

Reason for the summons: attacks on two Turkish vessels

As Turkish sources clarify, the main reason for the summons was the attack on the vessel Lider Bordo Mavi, which was carrying vegetables from the Turkish port of Samsun to the Russian city of Tuapse. On August 26, according to media reports, the vessel was attacked by three drones, resulting in injuries to five crew members. Later, a second vessel — the Lider Kocatepe — was dispatched to tow the damaged ship, but it too came under attack. Thus, two incidents, not one, entered the diplomatic sphere.

Chronology of the incident: from Lider Bordo Mavi to Lider Kocatepe

According to available information, the sequence of events is as follows: first, the cargo vessel carrying vegetables was attacked, after which a towing vessel was sent to its aid, which also came under fire. The meeting at Turkey's Foreign Ministry, held against the backdrop of these events, was devoted specifically to conveying Ankara's official reaction to both incidents. The point in the chronology is August 29, 2026, the date on which the ambassador's summons and the public coverage of the incident fall.

Ankara's position: shipping safety is mandatory

According to a statement quoted by Anadolu, during the meeting with the ambassador, Turkey's reaction to the aforementioned attacks was conveyed, and "necessary warnings were issued that ensuring the safety of life and property, shipping, and the environment in the Black Sea is mandatory." The wording underscores that Ankara regards the safety of maritime communications as an unconditional requirement, not as a subject of bargaining between the conflicting parties.

Context: call for a moratorium and assessments of losses

The incident occurs against the backdrop of an earlier statement by Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who several weeks ago said that Ankara had called on Ukraine and Russia to introduce a moratorium on strikes against merchant vessels in the Black Sea. In his words, the parties are attacking merchant ships "without discrimination." Meanwhile, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk stated that in the confrontation in the Black Sea, Russia is suffering significantly greater losses than Ukraine. These statements set the general backdrop of escalation around neutral and merchant shipping in the region.

Contradictory data

There are discrepancies between sources regarding the crew's composition. Some media outlets (in particular, Azerbaijani publications) present the incident as an attack on a vessel "with an Azerbaijani crew," whereas the basic reports and the Turkish agency Anadolu focus on the Turkish ownership of the vessels and on the fact that five crew members were injured as a result of the attack, without disclosing the crew's national composition in detail. Thus, the version regarding the nationality of the injured and which aspect of the incident is key is interpreted differently in various publications, and the exact composition of the crew is not unambiguously confirmed by open data.