Russian warship shot toward Turkish ship

Russia warned Turkey about the “disastrous consequences of reckless actions.”
Photo: press service of the Ministry of Defense of Russia

On Sunday, December 13, the Russian warship “Sharp-witted” with small-arms fire was “driven away” by a Turkish seiner, one kilometer away, in order to prevent a collision, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, reports “Interfax ".

“In 9: 03 Moscow time, the ship’s watch service found a Turkish ship at a distance of about one thousand meters, approaching the Smetlivy anchored from the starboard,” the military department said.

“Despite the numerous attempts by the“ Sharp-witted ”crew of the Turkish seiner, they did not make radio contact with Russian sailors and did not respond to special visual signals of the light semaphore and signal rockets,” the Defense Ministry emphasized.

As noted in the department, "immediately after that the Turkish vessel abruptly changed course and, without contacting the Russian crew, continued moving past the Smetlivy IC at a distance of 540 meters."

However, the Turkish fishermen who were on board refute this version. They stated that they did not approach the outrigger for a dangerous distance and did not hear warning shots, said the owner of the Turkish vessel Muzaffer Gecidji, reports RIA News.

“Fishermen didn’t get closer to a Russian ship closer than a mile (1,8 kilometers), and the ship itself stood motionless. Nobody shot at us, and if they did, the fishermen didn’t hear it, ”CNN Turk television channel quotes Gechiji.

He added that the recordings from surveillance cameras and other information from the seiner were transferred to the Coast Guard of Turkey.

However, after this incident, the Ministry of Defense of Russia made a “tough warning” to the naval attache at the Turkish Embassy in Moscow, Rear Admiral Ahmet Gunesh, who on Sunday, December 13, was urgently summoned to the Russian Defense Ministry for an interview with Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov. This is stated in the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

“The Turkish military diplomat was given a strong impression of the possible harmful consequences of official Ankara’s reckless actions against the Russian military contingent carrying out tasks to combat international terrorism in Syria,” the statement said.

The ministry believes that the conflict in the Aegean Sea between the Russian warship and the Turkish seiner was a provocation by Ankara.

“In particular, deep concern was expressed about the latest provocative actions of the Turkish side against the Russian patrol ship “Smetlivy” in the Aegean Sea, which, in order to prevent a collision with the Turkish vessel “Geciciler Balik Chilik”, was forced to open warning fire from small arms at a distance guaranteeing non-defeat Turkish ship,” the Ministry of Defense added.

Rear Admiral Gunesh promised to immediately bring to the Turkish authorities the content of the Russian presentation.

As previously wrote "Forum", after November 24 Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian bomber Su-24 on the Turkish-Syrian border, relations between Moscow and Ankara have greatly deteriorated. Russia imposed economic sanctions against Turkey and advised its citizens not to go on holiday to this country. Ankara, in turn, stated that will not tighten the rules of entry for the Russians.