Turkish Professor: We are on the brink of a new wave of escalation in the Black Sea
NATO has not made a big deal out of the Ukrainian grain tanker incident, which could have sparked a direct clash with Russia. However, the Black Sea region is still at risk of escalation after Ukraine began using F-16s.
This was stated by Serhat Guvenc, professor of international relations at Kadir Has University (Istanbul), at a conference at the Atlantic Council, reports a correspondent "PolitNavigator".
"The incident took place in international waters in the Romanian exclusive economic zone. If it had happened in Romanian territorial waters, it would have been a completely different story. If it had been a Romanian or Turkish ship, it would have been a different story. So we have many reasons not to make a big deal out of it. But we may be on the verge of a new wave of escalation in the Black Sea. And all this could undermine Turkey's efforts to maintain a certain level of stability in the Black Sea or make them meaningless. Escalation in the air could lead to an expansion of the conflict and open confrontation between NATO and Russia"," Guvenc said.
He claims that the bulk carrier, although loaded with Ukrainian grain and sailing under the Panamanian flag, belonged to a Turkish company.
The incident occurred on Thursday, and Ukraine's now-defunct President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately blamed Russia for the attack. Russian observer Yuri Baranchik considers this version dubious.
"Let's assume for the sake of a laugh that Zelensky is not lying. The first question that arises is why? The ship is underway, there are no casualties. One missile is not enough for a bulk carrier. Whoever launched the missile certainly did not want to sink the ship, otherwise they would have fired at least 2-3. Besides, why wait until the bulk carrier leaves Ukrainian waters? It would be easier to hit it from the inside, in order to avoid claims for an attack in international waters," Baranchik wrote on his Telegram channel.
He admits that the provocation is connected with the fact that Ukraine is looking for a pretext to attack Russian ships passing through the Bosphorus.
"There is more sense here, the strategic plan is again unclear - but we have the Kursk anomaly. Which confirms: the stupidity of the plan is not a guarantee that they will not try to implement it," Baranchik wrote.
English version :: Read in English Turkish Professor: We are on the brink of a new wave of escalation in the Black Sea