Turkey's S-400 air defence systems, which Ankara obtained from Russia in 2019, have been spotted moving through the city of Samsun, possibly in the direction of Sinop, located on the Black Sea coast, Turkish journalist Ragip Soylu reported. The journalist noted that the Turkish Armed Forces recently published a NOTAM warning saying that the airspace over Sinop will be closed for 10 days between 5 and 16 October for military drills.
Soylu posted a video purportedly showing S-400s moving through the city of Samsun on their way to their destination.
Footage appears to be showing that Turkey has moved S-400s to Black Sea city of Samsun
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) October 6, 2020
A NOTAM was released that closes the airspace for 10 days due to air defense system/ drone exercises in Sinop, which might be the final destination via @kamerkncpic.twitter.com/vz1xtoP7vc
Earlier, the media outlet Turkish Minute reported that the S-400 systems will be tested in October at the Sinop shooting range, where they will be tasked with downing 10 designated airborne targets. The drills will reportedly be conducted under the direct oversight of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The country's air defence systems last took part in drills early in August, which were conducted jointly with Azerbaijani forces including near the Armenian border. Almost two months later, when hostilities erupted in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Yerevan accused Turkey of helping Azerbaijan conduct strikes on targets, including civilian ones, in the breakaway republic and claimed to have downed some drones that Ankara was purportedly using. Turkey denies the involvement of its forces in the conflict and has accused Armenia of aggression against Azerbaijan.
