The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that Ankara is taking the necessary measures on the issue of floating mines in the Black Sea, in coordination with Romania and Bulgaria, which are also bordering the sea.
Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced the discovery of a mine off the coast of the city of Ignada, located on the western side of the Black Sea, near the border with Bulgaria.
“Necessary measures are continuing in coordination with Romania and Bulgaria, as well as with all relevant institutions and organizations regarding the danger of floating mines,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Federal Security Service had earlier reported that the Ukrainian army, after the start of the Russian special operation, had planted about 420 mines on the roads to the ports of Odessa, Ushakov, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
The Russian security apparatus did not rule out the possibility of the mines drifting after disengaging from their buoys into the Bosphorus Strait and into the Mediterranean Basin, due to strong water currents.
In light of this, the Turkish Navy has asked ships to beware of floating mines after the Russian Federal Security Service’s briefing, H Okreit newspaper reported, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the military is taking necessary measures on information about floating mines in the Black Sea.