Russia summons Turkish military attache over incident in Aegean Sea

The Russian Defense Ministry has summoned the Turkish military attache in Moscow over an incident in the Aegean Sea, the ministry press service said Sunday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the crew of the Russian 'Smetlivy' frigate was forced to use firearms to prevent a collision with a Turkish seiner vessel 22 kilometers from the Greek island of Limnos in the northern part of the Aegean Sea on December 13.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has urgently summoned the Turkish military envoy in Moscow following the incident, Sputnik reported.

The Russian frigate's morning crew spotted an approaching Turkish ship at a distance of approximately one kilometer. The seiner did not get on the air for radio contact with the Russian ship and did not respond to signal lamps or flairs.

While the Turkish vessel was nearing the Russian guard ship, firearms were used at a distance of about 600 meters to avoid the collision. Shots were fired beyond the hitting range of the firearms, the Russian Defense Ministry statement read.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, immediately after the shots were fired the Turkish fishing vessel changed its course and, without contacting the Russian crew, kept moving by the Smetlivy frigate at a distance of 540 meters.

The incident comes amid Russian-Turkish tensions following the downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber by the Turkish Air Force over Syria on November 24.

Sources: MENA