Ankara: Unknown wrecked drone found in northwestern Türkiye

Questions have been growing in Türkiye in recent days about the source of unknown drones falling inside its territory coming from the direction of the Black Sea, at a time when the region is witnessing ongoing tension due to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

After a series of successive incidents, the Turkish Ministry of Defense called on Ukraine and Russia to take more cautious measures regarding the movement of drones close to Turkish airspace, in anticipation of any new violations that may affect the country’s security and airspace.

An unidentified drone has been found in an agricultural field in northwestern Türkiye that has been completely wrecked, in a new incident that raises questions about the source of these drones, which have been falling inside Turkish territory in a short period of time, local media reported on Saturday.

Turkish media and press reported that the drone didn’t have any identification markings and that it was found near the city of Balıkesir, about three hours southwest of Istanbul, and the remnants of the drone were found inside a field.

According to the Turkish media, the plane was taken to Ankara for analysis and examination of its components.

The media also quoted accounts of residents in the area who said that the wreckage of the drone had been there for days before it was reported.

This is the second incident in less than 24 hours, and the third since Monday, in a series of drone-related incidents inside Türkiye.

Turkish authorities had earlier confirmed that one of the drones found in the past days was Russian-made.

On Friday, a wrecked drone was found in a rural area near Izmit, east of Istanbul, about 30 km (20 miles) from the Black Sea.

Türkiye’s Interior Ministry, which has opened an investigation, said preliminary findings indicated it was a Russian-made Orlan-10 reconnaissance and surveillance drone.

The incidents come at a time when Türkiye is located along the Black Sea coast opposite Russia and Ukraine, which are facing an open war situation.

On Monday, Ankara announced that its air defenses had shot down an “out of control” drone coming from the Black Sea after it penetrated Turkish airspace, without specifying the launcher or the exact location of the interception, and according to observers, shooting down the drone took place on land, not at sea.