Russian Destroyer Fires Warning Shots at Turkish Fishing Boat

A Russian warship fired warning shots Sunday at a Turkish fishing boat in the Aegean sea as the Turkish vessel was headed into a collision path toward the destroyer, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday.

“Deep concerns were voiced over another provocative action by the Turkish side against the Russian patrol ship Smetlivy in the Aegean Sea, which forced them to open warning fire … in order to avoid a collision with the Turkish vessel,” the ministry said in a statement.

Turkish military attaché in Moscow urgently invited to Rus Defence Ministry in view of incident in the Aegean Sea https://t.co/LkGSFTSnkG

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) December 13, 201

The statement added that Russian Defense Ministry summoned the Turkish military attache in Moscow and warned him about against such “reckless” actions by Ankara.

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The warning shots came from small arms and were strategically aimed to guarantee the Turkish ship was out of harm’s way, the statement stressed. Then the Turkish vessel changed its course without contacting the Russian crew, and kept moving by the "Smetlivy" destroyer at a distance of 540 meters (590 yards).

A #Russia destroyer in #Greece territorial waters fired warning shots at a tiny #Turkey fishing boat 1km away #Putin wants war with #Erdogan

— Thomas C. Theiner (@noclador) December 13, 201

Commenting on the incident, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuloglu said the ministry would release a statement after holding talks with Turkish fishermen.

"We do not favor tension, [this incident] needs to be overcome through dialogue," he was quoted as saying by the local paper Daily Sabah.

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The incident comes few weeks after the Turkish military downed a Russian warplane that Ankara said had breached Turkish airspace, which Moscow has flatly denied.

Tensions between the two countries have been high since as Russian President Vladimir Putin approved series of sanctions and response measures against Turkey.

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Putin accused the Turkish government of downing the fighter jet to protect oil trade between the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamic State group in Syria, which Russia is targeting in Syria, among other extremist and rebel groups.

The Smetlivy, a part of Russia's Mediterranean fleet, is a guided missile destroyer and acts as a patrol ship near Syria. Russia has been bombing targets of the Islamic State and other extremist groups in Syria since Sep. 30 upon the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

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