With one eye on Russia, Turkey expresses support for Ukraine
The success of Turkish-made drones in Ukraine is the most obvious sign of Ankara’s backing for Kyiv, but fear of Russian backlash is making Turkey tread lightly.
ISTANBUL — Imagery of a burned-out Russian military convoy in Ukraine shared on social media over the weekend credited its destruction to Turkish-made drones.
Turkish officials, however, have remained silent about the success of the country’s prized weapon against one of the world’s most advanced militaries for fear of a Russian backlash, according to analysts.
The footage, posted by the Ukrainian Embassy in Ankara on Sunday along with drone video purportedly showing the moment of a strike on Russian vehicles, was accompanied by a jubilant message acknowledging the role of Bayraktar TB2 drones.
Turkey has sold dozens of the drones to Ukraine since 2019. Having proved their worth against Russian-produced weaponry in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, they first saw action in Ukraine in October last year when a TB2 destroyed artillery in the eastern Donbas region.
