ANKARA, December 2. /TASS/. Attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea near Turkey should have all Black Sea countries on the alert, as these incidents increase the risk of the Ukraine conflict spreading to the region, and the globe next, Abdullah Agar, one of Turkey's leading security experts, said in an interview with TASS.
"This all happened near the Turkish border. Yes, Russia and Ukraine must sort this out. They are already doing so. But what's important for all of us now is that this is happening in the Black Sea. All Black Sea states need to be extremely cautious. The war could first become regional, and then go global, and the Black Sea is a very high-risk area in this regard," Agar said. In his opinion, the current attacks on ships could have been carried out to escalate tensions, particularly in the shipping sector on the Russian route. "Prices and insurance will rise. But I believe this won't be the end of it. The problem is already emerging, and it's the fanning of tensions in the Black Sea, the spread of the war to countries in the region, and, above all, the regionalization and then globalization of the conflict," Agar warned.
The Black Sea region, he said, "has already faced such manipulations and provocations." "Until now, the parties have not allowed this to escalate. Turkey has taken a very cautious stance, especially considering the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines, which have previously been targets of sabotage attempts," the expert said.
He believes that Turkish authorities apparently formulated their position in light of the attacks on ships in the Black Sea in line with "the need to stay away from these dangerous events." However, "with the emergence of new strategies related to prolonging the war, the situation is changing," Agar believes. In his words, "shells have started falling very close" to Turkey, increasing the overall level of risk and danger for it.
Attacks on tankers
On Tuesday, a drone attack occurred on the Russian vessel Midvolga 2 in the Black Sea, which was en route with a cargo of vegetable oil to Georgia. The attack resulted in minor damage to the vessel's superstructure. No one was injured. The attack was 80 nautical miles off the coast of Turkey, and the vessel safely reached the Turkish port of Sinop.
On November 28, the Gambian-flagged tankers Kairos and Virat, en route to Russia without cargo, sent distress signals respectively 28 and 38 nautical miles off the coast of Turkey in the western Black Sea. A fire started in the engine room area of the Kairos. The crew of the Virat reported damage to the hull, but no major fires. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on Monday after a Cabinet meeting that the attacks on tankers in the republic's exclusive economic zone indicate an alarming escalation of the Ukrainian conflict and are inexcusable.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova slammed the strikes on the tankers as terrorist attacks. She noted that the Kiev regime's secret services in fact claimed their involvement in the attacks by publishing video evidence of the terrorist attacks in Ukrainian media.