Turkish A-400s stranded in Ukraine since Russian invasion

As soon as Russia started its invasion operation in Ukraine on February 24, two A-400 military transport aircraft took off one after another from the Combat Air Force Command in Eskişehir. According to the scenarios prepared by the Ministry of National Defense, their task was to establish an air bridge to transfer Turkish citizens from Ukraine to Turkey.

However, shortly after the planes landed at the Boryspil airport of Kiev in the morning, Ukraine closed its airspace against Russian attacks. In addition, land vehicles were placed on both runways of Borispol airport to prevent landings and take-offs. Word spread that mines might have been laid on the runways. Therefore, like the other planes at the airport at that time, Turkish A-400 planes could not take off and were stranded.

2 out of 10 Airbus A-400M type strategic transport aircraft in Turkey’s possession were stuck in Ukraine for 4 months as of June 24.

Not just grain A-400 diplomacy

A total of 16 personnel of the aircraft have been at the Turkish embassy in Kyiv since then. With the permission of the Ukrainian authorities, they regularly go to the Borispol airport and maintain the planes named Koca Yusuf after the famous heavyweight Turkish wrestler, but the planes cannot be returned.

An intense diplomatic effort is being made through the Minister of National Defense, Hulusi Akar, for the return of the planes; This is because the problem is military, not political. In other words, the subject of Akar’s meetings with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov for months is not only maritime security for stray mines in the Black Sea and grain transportation, which has recently come to the fore, but from the very beginning, it is the safe return of two A-400 aircrafts to Turkey.

Akar’s last meeting with Reznikov on June 6 did not yield any results either. Security sources point out that both Ukraine and Russia are attentive to the safety of aircrafts (of Turkey and other countries) stranded in Borispol. However, this care does not change the situation.

Two important reasons

There are two main military reasons why the planes, each worth around 110 million Euros, could not be removed from Ukraine.

The first is the mine hazard on the runways. The problem is not only finding and clearing mines on runways. Ukrainians are worried that the Russians will take advantage of this.

The second is that no one can guarantee that the planes will not be attacked, even if the runways are temporarily cleared and take-off is achieved. The problem here is not that the Russian or Ukrainian authorities did not make any promises to Turkey. The fact that there are many militia groups fighting on behalf of both Ukraine and Russia, and almost all of them have shoulder-fired, heat-regulated missiles. There is also the possibility that each side will use such an attack to hold the other side accountable. Therefore, the negotiations are inconclusive.

Why didn’t the evacuation start earlier?

There is an important question here. Why didn’t Turkey start evacuating its citizens before, but waited for the occupation to start officially? The occupation had de facto started when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 21 that he recognizes Luhansk and Donetsk provinces as independent from Ukraine and sent Russian troops, which he had already been massing in the border regions for months, to these regions. Most Western countries had attempted to evacuate their citizens. When the A-400s could not establish an air bridge, there were problems in the evacuation of Turkish citizens by land and rail over Poland and Romania.

Why was the evacuation of the citizens delayed and why Turkey has been lacking two planes that are important for its defense for months?

Mine problem in grain negotiations

Both Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister Akar are working on solving the global grain shortage problem caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The problem is not only limited to the sailing of grain-laden ships to the Black Sea in the Russian-controlled Sea of ​​Azov, but also the inability to export grain from the Ukrainian port of Odessa. Ukraine has mined the exit to the Black Sea from the port of Odessa in case of a Russian attack from the sea. They argue that especially after the sinking of the Moskva ship, the Russian navy will attack Odessa by taking advantage of the demined sea corridor to be opened for grain exports. Russia, on the other hand, claims that the ships intended to transport grain will be used to deliver weapons to Ukraine. The issue was discussed during the meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who came to Turkey, with Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu on 8 June, but no solution was found.

The date of the talks, which were expected to be held in Turkey next week with the participation of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations, has not yet been determined.

As the Ukraine-Russia crisis prolongs, new problems will arise, this is evident.