The destoyer’s morning crew spotted an approaching Turkish ship at approximately one kilometer (0.6 miles).
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A Russian warship has been forced to fire warning shots at a Turkish fishing vessel to avoid the two boats colliding, the defence ministry in Moscow has confirmed.
“Despite numerous attempts made by the Smetlivy, the crew of the Turkish seine boat refused to establish radio contact with the Russian sailors and did not respond to special visual signals sent with a signal lamp and rocket flares”. Shots were fired beyond the hitting range of the firearms, the Russian Defense Ministry statement read.
The incident could increase tensions between Turkey and Russia that have been locked in a war of words since November 24, when Turkey downed the Russian Su-24 fighter jet over Syria, claiming that it had entered Turkish airspace, an accusation strongly rejected by Moscow.
According to the statement, the warship Smetlivy fired warning shots at an unnamed Turkish boat in the northern Aegean in order to avert a collision.
“In connection with the incident in the Aegean Sea, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov invited the military attaché at the Turkish embassy in Russia to the Russian Defence Ministry”, also added in the explanation.
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President Vladimir Putin on Friday delivered a thinly veiled warning to Ankara and told his forces in Syria to take tough action against any threats.
