Stray Sea Mines In The Black Sea Continue To Pose A Threat To Surrounding Countries
Stray Soviet-era sea mines, which first appeared in the Black Sea during the Russia-Ukraine War, continue to pose a threat to the surrounding countries. One of these mines exploded last week on a beach in Istanbul’s Şile district. Because the beach was empty due to the season and time, no one was killed or injured in the explosion. Only one nearby restaurant sustained material damage. According to open-source information, this was the first incident in Turkey in which these stray sea mines detonated. While official authorities have not issued a statement regarding the explosion, an investigation into the event is ongoing.
On Monday, February 13, a similar explosion occurred in the port city of Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, just days after the explosion in Turkey. According to local media, the sea mine exploded about 25 meters from the shore and caused no damage or injury. Following the explosion, the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ relevant units, including firefighters, police, and mine clearance teams, investigated the scene. While no information about the type of mine that exploded was provided in the Ministry’s statement, it was announced that an investigation had been launched within the scope of Part 1 of Article 229 of the Georgian Penal Code.
Previously, these sea mines laid in the Black Sea during the Russia-Ukraine War posed a serious threat to Turkey and Romania’s territorial waters. On March 26, 2022, the first mine was discovered in the Bosphorus and was neutralized by Turkish underwater defense commandos before it exploded. Two days after the first mine was discovered in Turkish territorial waters, a second mine was discovered near the Bulgarian border off the coast of İğneada. This mine was again neutralized by Turkish underwater defense commandos before it exploded. On the same day as the second mine was discovered in Turkey, the Romanian Ministry of Defense discovered a mine 39 nautical miles off the coast of Midia Port. The third mine, which appeared in the Black Sea, was neutralized by Romanian minesweeper Vice Admiral Constantin Balescu and a group of mine clearance divers.
It is still unknown who is to blame for the Black Sea mines. According to pro-Russian media, Ukraine allegedly planted mines on purpose to allow NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups to pass through the Straits. Ukraine’s officials, on the other hand, blame Russia. The Ukrainians claim that the mines were planted by the Russians in order to suffocate all Black Sea traffic, and that they are attempting to blame the Kyiv administration. In any case, these mines continue to pose a threat to neutral countries as well as civilian maritime and fishing vessels, and depending on the number of them loose at sea, they could pose a significant challenge in the coming days.