Today is an important day, but Yörük’s nerves do not attack him because after a while he has already done what he will do a thousand times. He is calm, sitting, waiting cargo ship makes the route what to do Nothing will go wrong because everything is under control.
“I came looking for a Russian trader who made the route north today. left Sevastopol, He moved the Crimea and the Bosphorus to the Mediterranean in early May. wheat was stolen Ukraine. First, the crew had marked their final destination as Alexandria in Egypt. But he lied: he was going to Syria. Now return to the Black Sea to continue the route,” explains Yörük Işık, taking out the phone.
“That’s it,” says this good-natured, fat man with a white beard and long hair. controls maritime traffic via an app from your phone. “Now it is below, right at the entrance of the Bosphorus. It will catch us after a while,” explains Yörük. points south In the direction of the great mosques and imperial palaces that define the silhouette of Istanbul’s historical peninsula.
Bosphorus in sight
If there is anyone in the city who knows the Bosphorus, the sea route that divides Europe’s largest city in two, it is undoubtedly ‘think tank’ geopolitical analyst Yörük Işık. Middle East Institute and an expert in everything that happens at sea. Yörük spends weeks crossing the Bosphorus by ferry and taking pictures. all shipsinteresting to go through. Today will be the promises.
“Such Russian ships, whose wheat was stolen from Ukraine, also reached Turkey. It is unbelievable. It is happening and is happening in front of everyone. nobody says anything, although the official order of the Turkish Government is not to accept them. But they are still there,” Yörük complains.
But the Russian freighter has not yet entered the Bosphorus, so the man is relieved; her camera is still in the bag; Distracted, she gazes at one of the world’s most famous sights. Navigating the Bosphorus with Yoruk is also cruising, The history of the intercontinental city, by visiting their forgotten palaces, the global and regional intrigues and conspiracies taking place within them; The empires that were born here and came to die here are on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Russian threats
But of course it’s not just for observing the past built on the coast. At the same time, it is to see the present and the future through what passes through the sea. Just seeing is not enough. One must know how to look.
Everything happened at the beginning of February. At the time, the whole world was debating whether Russia’s threats to invade Ukraine were real. a street lamp. Almost everyone thought that nothing would happen, that it wouldn’t make any sense.
But then, at the beginning of February, in the middle of winter, three weeks before the start of the war, they started to come. “Among the devotees we all work as a team, because alone he cannot see everything. We have colleagues who observe. North Sea, Baltic, Straits of Gibraltar… We talk to each other, use satellite imagery, and know when ships are passing, even if they turn off their transmitters. Thus, in the first week of February, we saw six Russian ships arriving in the Black Sea much faster than usual, says Yörük.
Tanks, armored vehicles and trucks
They weren’t regular ships: they were landing craft, large ships for transporting tanks, armored vehicles, trucks and soldiers indoors. Russia already had six of them in the Black Sea; would now be 12.
“His passing was the biggest manifestation of that. Russia wants to attack Ukraine –explains Devrim Yaylalı, another marine observer who sells his photographs to private military magazines. They are ships that can reach the shore and land of the enemy, as in Normandy. By Montreal Convention The transit passage of a foreign ship (which manages the passage of warships in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits) must begin within the same day. Normally, they pass Çanakkale in the morning, arrive in Istanbul the next day and enter the Black Sea in the afternoon. But this time it was different. They crossed the Bosphorus in a hurry at night.”
“Then I realized that Russia It wasn’t just threatening. All this happened between February 8-9. It was very frustrating to see what would happen without doing anything. “No one wants a war if one country invades another,” says Yaylali.
cameras and binoculars
With the war in Ukraine—as well as Russia’s involvement in the Syrian conflict— Istanbul and the Bosphorus they saw a resurgence of their geopolitical importance. A community of observers was born in the city of two continents, some of whom take out their binoculars and cameras as a hobby.
And now, they are the ones who chose the witnesses—something less compelling, of course. cold war istanbula city of spies, covert surveillance operations and international struggles.
“Throughout all these years, Turkey has played a very important role in controlling the straits, which was a very important point for both the Soviet Union and other countries of Eastern Europe. Turkey can prevent all Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea, if he wishes. This is one of the reasons why Turkey joined NATO in the 1950s,” he explains. Mensur Akgunacademician and professor at Istanbul Kultur University.
“During and after the Second World War, countries like Turkey became a battleground for spies. And Istanbul was, of course, an important place. Plus, This geostrategic position had a great impact on Turkey.. It first led to the democratization of the country and then to NATO membership,” continues Akgün.
loss of relevance
However, with the disappearance of the USSR in 1991, the Bosphorus lost its military significance. It was still one of the biggest lines world trade traffichowever, international observers stopped paying attention to Istanbul.
until 2015. “Since the beginning of the campaign Russian army in Syria So far, with the war in Ukraine, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles have once again become a very important military point. All this makes Russia strategically dependent on Turkey. Turkey is very addicted Russia. That’s why Ankara tried to be so involved in ending the conflict in Ukraine,” explains Akgün.
When the ship that was the subject of Yörük’s desires appeared in the distance under the bridge crossing the Bosphorus, it was already afternoon. “There it is,” she exclaims. Matros Koshka! It means Sailor Cat in Russian. They are a bit sloppy because the name was changed recently and they painted over the old one. They do this in case someone decides to hold the ship. So that the Russians will withdraw.”
kilometer telescope
After this point, Yörük comes into play. The man turns on his camera and puts on his kilometer telescopic lens. “I have a bigger one,” he says with a smile. And from here, the man enters fight the wavesfighting to get the best possible frame.
There is time: Since the Bosphorus is one of the world’s busiest sea routes, giant ships like the Sailor Cat have to pass Istanbul with difficulty. lethargic gaitalmost calm.
“The photos we managed to take here help us to know the ships better. For example, if we take good photos of the command bridge, We can describe the features, this will then help us locate the ship in question via satellite. Although in the end, the most important volume of our work is, of course, monitoring. Photos are the icing on the cake.”says Yoruk.
After the end of the Bosphorus, the merchant, whose duty has already been completed, disappears in the direction of the Black Sea. From there, it will probably return Sevastopol, Crimea, where it will be reloaded with your valuables to repeat the transaction. In a few weeks, Sailor Cat will cross Istanbul again, this time to the south, and it will remain as it is now: a Russian ship carrying wheat stolen from Ukraine.