Turkey steps up Black Sea naval activity as war rages in Ukraine

Turkey is extending its grip in the Black Sea, sending drilling ships and carrying out war games.
Russian Navy's Project 22160 Patrol Vessel Dmitriy Rogachev 375 sails through the Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Black Sea past the city Istanbul as Suleymaniye mosque is seen in the background on Feb. 16, 2022.
Russian Navy's Project 22160 Patrol Vessel Dmitriy Rogachev 375 sails through the Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Black Sea past the city Istanbul as Suleymaniye mosque is seen in the background on Feb. 16, 2022. - OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images
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Andrew Wilks
@AndyWilks61

ISTANBUL — As war rages in Ukraine, to the south Turkey has been busy extending its grip in the Black Sea, stepping up exploration of natural gas resources and holding naval exercises. 

Earlier this month, Ankara dispatched the last of its three drilling ships — the Fatih, Kanuni and Yavuz — to the Sakarya gas field, which lies 185 kilometers (115 miles) north of the port of Zonguldak. 

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