Russian missile nearly disrupts NATO summit: Alarm raised in Türkiye
Photo: NATO summit (Getty Images)
A few hours before the opening of the NATO summit in Ankara, Türkiye issued an air raid alert after detecting a missile heading toward its airspace. It was later determined that the object was a Russian surface-to-air missile that had veered off course, Der Spiegel reports.
In the morning, shortly before the start of the NATO summit in Ankara, an air raid alert was sounded across Türkiye.
According to the outlet, at around 7 a.m. local time, NATO’s radar surveillance systems detected a high-speed object moving from the direction of Georgia toward Turkish airspace.
Due to the potential threat, a Bundeswehr Patriot surface-to-air missile battery stationed in Türkiye’s Malatya province was placed on full combat readiness.
What happened
Initially, the military suspected that the object could be a ballistic missile. At the time, leaders of NATO member states and governments were already preparing to arrive in Ankara for the alliance’s annual summit.
It was later revealed that the missile was not heading toward the Turkish capital and fell into the waters of the Black Sea.
What was discovered later
A subsequent investigation found that the alert was triggered by a Russian surface-to-air missile that veered off course after being launched from the territory of the unrecognized Abkhazia.
Despite the lack of an immediate threat, the incident caused serious concern among NATO allies.
The alliance views such incidents as an additional risk factor along its external borders, as any airspace violations could lead to dangerous escalation between Russia and NATO countries.
During the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented alliance leaders with unusual commemorative gifts — combat revolvers with personalized engravings and a cartridge. However, some delegations were unable to take the gifts home due to restrictions on importing firearms in their countries.
