The Bulgarian government has warned on the presence of mines drifting in the Black Sea, reaching the area on the shores of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa and endangering maritime traffic.
Experts from the Naval Military Academy in Varna told EFE that the mines could enter Bulgarian territorial waters in about 10 days. The explosive devices “were brought by a storm and float in the Black Sea, which is a threat to all boats,” Sofia said.
Romania’s Maritime Hydrographic Directorate also warned, on March 18, about the danger of the presence of mines in the northwest of the Black Sea. “Mine danger in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. In case you discover floating objects similar to mines, report immediately to no. tel 0040241651040”, reads a press statement signed by the head of the Maritime Hydrographic Directorate, Commander Nicoale Vatu.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced that 420 mines are currently drifting in the Black Sea, after several storms broke the anchor cables that attach these mines to the seabed, informs Reuters. The mines had been placed by Ukrainian defenders in the port areas to prevent Russian ships from approaching the shore.
The mines come from the coast of Odessa, Ukraine’s main port on the Black Sea, and some experts believe that they are part of the defensive device deployed by the Ukrainian army to prevent the landing of Russian troops in this city.