Three ships attacked in the Black Sea in the last five days. Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz wrote: “They're trying to drag Türkiye into the war!”

Oil tanker "VIRAT" was attacked in the Black Sea within Turkish exclusive economic zone
Photo: ‘TR Hhaber’

"The conflict between Russia and Ukraine now threatens navigation in the Black Sea. We cannot in any way justify attacks on vessels inside our exclusive zone.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, affiliated with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, reported that the tanker "MIDVOLGA-2," carrying sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, was attacked 80 miles off the Turkish coast. It was the third ship to be attacked in recent days. Crude oil tankers "KAIROS" and "VIRAT" were also attacked in the Black Sea on November 28-29, outside Turkish territorial waters but within its exclusive economic zone.

While the reasons behind the three attacks, which took place five days apart, are being questioned, Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz commented on the situation, stating that the attacks were an attempt to drag Turkey into the ongoing war.

Cem Gürdeniz released the following statement on social media, assessing the significance of the attacks:

“The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced that an attack was carried out on the Midvolga 2 sunflower oil tanker off the coast of Sinop in the Black Sea on December 2nd, within the Turkish search and rescue area and our continental shelf.

Three attacks in the last five days!

These incidents are aimed at Ukraine's attempt to emulate its own chaotic reality in the Black Sea and to involve Turkey in the war by prolonging the war in line with the interests of Paris, Berlin, London, and Brussels.”

Retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz
Photo: ‘TR Hhaber’

After the 2014 Maidan uprising, the Kiev regime surrendered itself to the imperialist mindset of London, Washington, Paris, Berlin, and Brussels, and was lured into the West's geopolitical vision against Russia as cheap blood. Initially relying on NATO, the US, and the EU support, Kiev acted with the dream of Russia's dissolution, the overthrow of Putin's regime, and a "Western victory," writes Turkish ‘TR Hhaber’.

In this atmosphere, Zelensky, who sat at the Istanbul talks in March-April 2022, was persuaded by Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Ali Kemal's grandson, to continue the war, and the prospect of peace was shelved.

However, the domestic agenda did not go according to plan. Russia gained the upper hand by risking a long-term war of attrition on the ground. At this point, the US is abandoning Ukraine; the only cement that keeps the UK and the EU standing is hostility to Russophobia and the continuation of the war.

The Kiev administration, certain of defeat on the front lines, is now seeking to spread the flames of war throughout the Black Sea.

Zelensky
Photo: Reuters

Indeed, the fact that the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee can even speak of a "preemptive strike" on Russia clearly demonstrates the dangerous threshold we have reached.

In such a conjuncture, three commercial ships can be attacked on the Turkish continental shelf within five days, and a Turkish-owned tanker in Senegal can be professionally sabotaged.

Turkey resolutely maintains the active neutrality regime outlined by Article 19 of the Montreux Convention. Being a NATO member does not preclude this principle of neutrality. Turkey cannot be forced into any sanctions that are not UN resolutions; pressure from the US, UK, and EU is not binding on Ankara.

In this process, Turkey must take active measures to protect the safety and security of international maritime trade in the Black Sea. The scope of support provided to Ukraine must be reassessed.

Kyiv must be clearly reminded that Turkey is indispensable to the operation of the grain corridor; the military support provided to Ukraine by certain Turkish companies and institutions must be limited. It must be reminded that two Ukrainian warships are still held in our country.

Because if Ankara fails to take the necessary action, the Zelensky regime, within the sphere of influence of the US-UK-EU axis, will not hesitate to turn the Black Sea into a war laboratory.

Our ancestors maintained neutrality in the Black Sea despite immense pressure, even during the most devastating periods of World War II. History is the greatest teacher.

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