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Russian Drone Strikes Turkish Ship in Black Sea

Turkey was drawn directly into the Black Sea war. A Russian drone struck the Turkish-owned cargo ship ANT as it left Odesa, injuring two crew, and Ankara warned all sides against "uncontrolled escalation" while pressing for a negotiated end to the war. At home, markets braced for a data-heavy June -- first-quarter GDP, April inflation of 32.37 percent and a June 11 decision on a rate held at 37 percent -- while the travel industry warned that Turks, who filed 1.27 million Schengen visa applications in 2025, are being shut out of Europe's appointment system.

Turkey's day was defined by the war on its northern doorstep. A Russian drone struck the Turkish-owned, Vanuatu-flagged cargo ship ANT late on May 28 as it carried dry bulk from Odesa toward Türkiye, injuring two Turkish crew members and starting a fire on board. The Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the two nationals through its consulate general in Odesa, conveyed Ankara's concerns about Black Sea escalation to "all relevant parties," and called on all sides to avoid "uncontrolled escalation" while reaffirming that Türkiye -- which controls access to the Black Sea through the Bosporus under the 1936 Montreux Convention -- supports ending the war through negotiations. Ukraine's navy said Russia had carried out "a targeted attack on a Turkish vessel."

The economy framed much of the rest of the day. After the Eid al-Adha holiday, markets head into a data-heavy June: first-quarter GDP, expected around 2.7 percent year-on-year, lands alongside April inflation -- which ran at 32.37 percent -- and a central-bank rate decision on June 11, after policymakers held the benchmark at 37 percent in May. Energy data offered a rare cushion: figures from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority showed Türkiye kept supplies stable through the first quarter despite the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the late-February US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with natural-gas imports of 19.2 billion cubic metres. The economic pressure plays out against continued political turbulence, with the opposition attacking President Erdoğan over growth and an appeals court's May 21 move against the main opposition CHP's leadership.

A consumer grievance with Europe also surfaced. The Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB) said Turkish citizens are effectively shut out of the Schengen visa system by chronic appointment shortages and the alleged use of bots to hoard booking slots -- this despite Turkey being the second-largest source of Schengen visa applications in 2025, at 1.27 million.

Sources