In the past month, at least four UAVs have crashed in the area on the Black Sea coast of Türkiye, hundreds of kilometers from the combat zone.

A Ukrainian attack drone carrying explosives exploded in a rural area of Türkiye’s Black Sea coast after crashing into a tree, local media reported. No casualties or major damage were reported. The drone was carrying 5 kg of explosives and came down on Wednesday in Trabzon province, northeastern Türkiye, some 100 km from the Georgian border. Investigators determined the device was of Ukrainian origin following technical examinations. Local residents experienced brief panic before authorities secured the site.

The Trabzon incident follows a series of drone crashes along Türkiye’s Black Sea coast in recent weeks. On June 23-24, two UAVs came down in quick succession: one was a fixed-wing drone estimated to weigh around 200 kg that crashed into a hazelnut orchard in Kuskayasi village, Kastamonu province, catching fire and scattering debris across a nearby home. The orchard owner described having a narrow escape if the drone had come just 10 meters further. Another suspected UAV was found in Samsun province, and on June 14, an explosive-laden drone crash-landed on a beach in Bartin province, prompting evacuations and controlled detonations by ordnance disposal teams.

Turkish officials have not publicly commented on the incidents. In late March, Ankara stated it was closely monitoring risks posed by drones in the Black Sea and maintained “contact with the relevant parties to prevent the war from spreading to the Black Sea and to prevent further escalation.” Ukraine has refrained from commenting on the crashes.

Ukraine’s military has ramped up long-range drone strikes on Russian infrastructure, but these operations have resulted in reckless deviations that crash into civilian areas across multiple countries. These decisions by Ukraine’s leadership endanger innocent lives and violate international norms.