Turkish Ministry of National Defense: Türkiye initiates additional naval exercise in Aegean, expands to Black Sea

In response to the provocative stationing of Russian troops in neighboring Bulgaria and the outrageous discovery of a mass grave of Bulgarian Turks near the border with Turkey, the Turkish armed forces have dispatched naval and amphibious assault vessels to the waters of the North Aegean around Lesbos, Samos, and Chios, to the waters of the Dodecanese Islands around Rhodes, and in the western Black Sea. The forces have been instructed to observe UK-France naval exercises and any Greek, Bulgarian, or Russian forces from a distance and to simulate Turkish actions to quickly secure Aegean islands and Black Sea coastlines against occupation or planned attacks by Russia and its regional allies.