Event in Çankırı area, Turkey on Mon 15th December 2025

Turkey shot down a drone from Black Sea on Monday, then found two crashed drones near Istanbul, in escalating incidents in Turkey's airspace, which Ankara has linked to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Turkey shot down a drone that violated its airspace and discovered two more crashed drones over five days, marking an escalation in incidents linked to the spillover of Russia's war in Ukraine into the Black Sea region.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets intercepted and destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle on Monday after it entered Turkish airspace from the Black Sea, the Ministry of National Defence said.

The drone was shot down near Çankırı, approximately 120 kilometres from Ankara, after it appeared to be out of control.

On Friday, authorities found a crashed drone near Kocaeli, about 30 kilometres south of Istanbul. The Interior Ministry said initial findings indicate the drone is a Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes.

A second crashed drone was discovered on Saturday in a field near Balıkesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul, Turkish media reported.

Farmers found the drone and handed it over to authorities, who transported it to Ankara for analysis. The origin of the Balıkesir drone remains under investigation.

The ministry said the drone on Monday was destroyed "at the most appropriate place" after procedures were completed. Debris broke up into small pieces and scattered across a wide area, complicating recovery efforts.

"Due to the ongoing war ... our interlocutors have been warned that both sides should be more careful about such negativities regarding the security of the Black Sea," the ministry said.

Air defence questions raised

The incidents raised questions about Turkey's air defence readiness, particularly after the first drone penetrated deep into Turkish airspace before being intercepted.

Namık Tan, an opposition CHP deputy and former ambassador, questioned whether Turkey's radar system was sufficient to detect a drone capable of coming close to the capital and critical defence facilities.

The defence ministry rejected the criticism, saying that Turkey's airspace control operates continuously, with radar, early warning, electronic warfare and interception systems working in a layered architecture.

"The process regarding the UAV in question was successfully managed and finalised," the ministry said. "The allegations that our air defence system is weak do not reflect the truth."

The ministry said the drone's small size presented significant detection challenges, requiring cross-verification from multiple sensor systems.

Four passenger aircraft approaching Ankara Esenboğa Airport were diverted to Konya on 15 December as a precautionary measure during the interception.