The supply of Turkish combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Bayraktar to Ukraine is painfully perceived in the Russian society, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Alexei Yerkhov said on Monday in an interview with the Aydinlik newspaper.
"I can't help but touch on one question that I am very often asked here: how do we feel about the deliveries of Turkish Bayraktar to Ukraine? Well, I will tell you very frankly: you have no idea how painfully these supplies are perceived in Russian society. Explanations like "business is business" do not find understanding, because your drones are killing our soldiers, that is why they are bought. I recall, incidentally, that one country claiming to be Turkey's ally tends to hand over large quantities of weapons to those with whom the "Mehmetçiks" are fighting, and Ankara hates that. Why should we like it?" the diplomat stressed.
"By the way, I want to stop attempts by unscrupulous commentators to turn the tables on Russia. We do not give weapons to these people with whom the Turkish army is fighting, and they know this well in Turkey. Their office is also not in Moscow, which some people like to remind us about, without bothering to give any concrete evidence," Yerkhov added.
Turkey has set up UAV production in recent years not only to meet the needs of its armed forces but also for export. Currently, six countries already have Bayraktar UAVs in service: Azerbaijan, Qatar, Libya, Morocco, Poland and Ukraine. UAVs of this type have been used in combat operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria and Libya.
In 2021, Turkey supplied Ukraine with Bayraktar UAVs, which were later used in Donbass, which is prohibited by the Minsk agreements. Concerns about the reports of their use by the Ukrainian armed forces were expressed by the German and French foreign ministries at the time.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS