The sale of Turkish “Bayraktar” combat drones to Ukraine is perceived painfully in Russian society. This was stated by Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey, Alexey Yerkhov.
“I cannot but address one question that I am often asked here — how do we view the supply of Turkish ‘Bayraktars’ to Ukraine? I will be completely honest. You cannot even imagine how painfully those deliveries are perceived in Russian society. The ‘business is business’ explanations are not understood, because your drones are killing our soldiers, and that is why they are being purchased. Incidentally, let me note — a country that claims to be considered Turkey’s ally has a habit of transferring large quantities of weapons to those with whom the ‘Mehmetçiks’ are fighting, and that is not so pleasant for Ankara. In that case, why should it be pleasant for us?” the diplomat stressed. The ambassador emphasised that Russia does not give weapons to those against whom the Turkish army is fighting, and Turkey knows this well.
In recent years, Turkey has established the production of combat drones not only to meet the needs of its own armed forces, but also for export. At present, six states already have “Bayraktar” drones — Azerbaijan, Qatar, Libya, Morocco, Poland and Ukraine. This type of drone has been used during combat operations in Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria and Libya.
