Türkiye on Friday called on all parties to avoid actions that could further inflame tensions in the Black Sea after a drone strike hit a Turkish-owned cargo vessel off Ukraine’s southern coast, injuring two crew members and sparking a fire on board.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had conveyed Ankara’s concerns to “all relevant parties” following the incident and reiterated its warning against steps that could lead to an uncontrolled escalation of the war in the region.
It said the situation was being closely monitored and confirmed that the injured crew members were Turkish nationals.
“We are closely monitoring the conditions of the two Turkish nationals,” the ministry said, adding that Türkiye was coordinating with relevant authorities over the safety of maritime traffic in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s navy said earlier on Friday that Russian drones struck the vessel late Thursday while it was sailing from the Odesa region toward Türkiye, causing a fire and forcing the evacuation of part of the crew.
The vessel, which was sailing under the Vanuatu flag and was reportedly carrying cargo at the time, had Turkish ownership links, according to Ukrainian officials.
“The Russian Federation carried out a targeted attack on a Turkish vessel,” the Ukrainian navy said in a statement posted on Telegram. It said two crew members were wounded but did not immediately provide further details on the ship’s cargo or extent of damage.
Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the Ukrainian allegations.
The incident comes amid repeated strikes on shipping in the Black Sea, a critical corridor for grain and commercial goods since the start of the war in Ukraine. Maritime security in the region has remained a point of concern for coastal states, including Türkiye, which controls access to the Black Sea through the Bosporus under the 1936 Montreux Convention.
Ankara has repeatedly urged both Moscow and Kyiv to avoid actions that could endanger civilian shipping, warning that spillover from the conflict risks wider instability in the region.
