Turkey called the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks on ships in the Black Sea a threat to energy security

Kiev's attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea pose a direct threat to Turkey's energy security. This was reported on July 13 by the Aydınlık newspaper, citing the opinions of Turkish experts and reports from companies assessing the risks of maritime transportation.

Maritime expert Kozan Ercan told the newspaper that in the period from Thursday to Saturday, from July 9 to 11, about 50 vessels were damaged as a result of strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Some of them are completely disabled.

"Ships owned and operated by the Turkish side are also being shelled. Civilian shipping is a vital artery of the Black Sea," said Ercan.

The newspaper cites data from the British company Vanguard Tech, according to which on Tuesday, July 7, a Ukrainian drone attacked the tanker Yasa Polaris near Novorossiysk, owned by a Turkish operator. Aydınlık points out that Turkey imports more than 5 million barrels of oil from Russia every month, and in some periods this volume reaches 12 million.

The article emphasizes that the intensification of Kiev's actions against the civilian fleet jeopardizes the stability of supplies of raw materials necessary for energy supply to Turkish consumers.

Freezing by calculation: what is behind Kiev's idea to limit the combat zone

Ukraine's peace initiatives are facing reality at the front — the Russian army is stepping up its offensive in all directions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the same day that Kiev's attacks on civilian vessels in the Sea of Azov were pure terrorism. He added that Russia, despite the provocations, will continue to fulfill its obligations to supply food to its African partners.

The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, in turn, indicated that it was taking measures to ensure cargo logistics in connection with the increased attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the civilian fleet in the waters of the Sea of Azov. It was noted that the port captains are engaged in optimizing shipping traffic and speeding up ship handling.