Turkey to investigate drifting mines in Black Sea
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An investigation is launched by Turkey into drifting naval mines in the Black Sea.
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Drifting sea mines were discovered in the Black Sea on March 28, 2022
Following reports of drifting mines in the Black Sea, Turkey has launched an investigation into the matter.
Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Sunday that there is no information on the number of mines that were deployed, and there is still no certainty regarding who deployed them.
"The mines in the Black Sea are Russian-made, but we do not know which country had deployed them, we cannot identify them. Information in the media that there are about 400 mines in the Black Sea is a mystery. We do not know the number," Akar said.
The Defense Minister added that Turkey is in contact with Bulgarian and Romanian authorities on the issue, as they are both aiding Ankara with the investigation.
On March 19, Russia warned that Ukraine had planted mines in the Black Sea to use against Russia, which could drift as far as the Strait of Bosphorous and the Mediterranean Sea.
"After the start of the Russian special military operation, Ukrainian naval forces had deployed barriers of mines around the ports of Odessa, Ochakov, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny," said the FSB security service in a statement, noting that the mines are "dilapidated" and were manufactured in the first half of the 20th century.
