Türkiye Denounces Drone Attacks on Civilian Ships in Black Sea

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye denounced drone attacks on two Turkish-owned civilian vessels, the Yasar and Nadezhda, which occurred on the evening of August 3, 2026. The ships were targeted in the Black Sea shortly after departing from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, resulting in injuries to several crew members, including Turkish citizens.

Turkish officials expressed deep concern that the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine is increasingly affecting civilian shipping. The ministry urged all parties to implement concrete measures to ensure navigational safety, warning that further escalation could lead to multidimensional adverse consequences and threaten global food security.

This incident follows a pattern of increasing strikes on cargo vessels by Russia and Ukraine over several weeks, including a previous attack on a Turkish fishing vessel near Crimea in June.