Turkish authorities have recovered an unmanned aerial vehicle washed up on shore on the Black Sea coast, the latest in a series of drone-related incidents along Turkey's northern shoreline.
Turkey's defence ministry said on Thursday that a drone found on a beach in the Unye district of Ordu province on Tuesday did not contain explosives and is believed to be of Russian origin.
In its weekly press briefing, ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk said a special forces team was dispatched to the area on Wednesday.
The drone was later handed over to local security authorities for further examination.
The official statement contradicts earlier local media reports, which had described the aircraft as an Iranian-made "suicide drone" found by fishermen and suggested it could pose an explosive risk.
According to Turkish daily Sabah, fishermen first spotted the object a day earlier and alerted authorities.
Police, gendarmerie and coast guard units secured the area, temporarily closing the coastal highway in both directions due to fears it could contain explosive material.
Specialist explosive disposal teams and Turkish special operations forces were flown in from Istanbul to inspect the debris and see how the drone ended up on a Turkish shore.
The discovery adds to a growing number of suspicious objects found along Turkey's Black Sea coastline in recent months, with fishermen netting sea mines and maritime drones believed to be linked to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The Black Sea has seen repeated incidents involving Russian and Ukrainian naval assets, including attacks on vessels linked to Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet".
In September and October 2025, unmanned sea drones were found off the coast of Trabzon and later near Artvin's Hopa district, with Turkish naval teams rushing to the scene over fears they contained explosives.
In late December, a sea mine believed to be of Russian origin washed up on the Agva shore and was destroyed by security forces.
Separate incidents have also been recorded further west, where in December, two crashed drones were discovered near Istanbul and Balıkesir, with one identified as a Russian-made Orlan-10.