Turkish minehunter of the Aydin class. Photo courtesy of Abeking & Rasmussen Schiffs- u. Yachtwerft GmbH & Co. KG

Turkish minehunter of the Aydin class. Photo courtesy of Abeking & Rasmussen Schiffs- u. Yachtwerft GmbH & Co. KG

Mines in the Black Sea: Russia accuses Ukraine

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of releasing Soviet-era YaM and YarM mines floating in the northern Black Sea, three of which have been discovered and neutralised so far.

According to Russian claims, there are hundreds of mines near its coast. Some of them are floating in the open waters of the Black Sea and are a danger to commercial shipping. This comes a day after Kiev claimed that Moscow was responsible.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry declared on Wednesday that Russia is laying sea mines in the Black Sea as "uncontrolled drifting ammunition" and turning them "de facto into a weapon for indiscriminate actions". The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed on Thursday that the Ukrainian navy had dropped around 420 sea mines between 24 February and 4 March - 370 in the Black Sea and 50 in the Sea of Azov. In addition, several hundred explosive devices had detached themselves from cables and were floating in the sea. Kiev rejected this claim.

Mines floating in the Black Sea, Photo: Courtesy Romanian Navy

Mines floating in the Black Sea, Photo: Courtesy Romanian Navy

In recent days, Turkish and Romanian military mine divers have been involved in defusing stray mines in their waters. The Turkish Ministry of Defence said it had not yet determined the source and number of floating mines and was in contact with its Ukrainian and Russian counterparts on the matter. A former high-ranking Turkish Navy officer told Reuters that it was difficult to obtain reliable information about the mines, which were used by both Russia and Ukraine.

Experts believe this is highly unlikely because Ukraine has been under a blockade for around two months and has not had the opportunity to lay mines. If there were supposedly 420 free-floating mines, the Ukrainian navy would have had to lay 2,000 to 2,500 mines, because not every mine that is laid breaks. Even old mines do not suddenly break off their strong chains in large numbers without further ado.

British sources stated that floating mines pose a threat to shipping in the Black Sea and declared that it is very certain that they were laid by Russia. On 28 March, the Romanian Navy minesweeper "Vice Admiral Constantin Balescu" deliberately detonated a drifting sea mine about 40 nautical miles off Capu Midia, a Romanian military base near Constanta. On the same day, a Turkish Navy team discovered and neutralised a mine near Igneada, a coastal town about 150 nautical miles south of the Romanian Navy's discovery. On 26 March, Turkish forces found and neutralised another "old-type" mine near the busy entrance to the Bosporus (marineforum.online reported).

Although the origin of these mines is unclear, their presence is almost certainly due to Russian naval activity in the area. The long-feared amphibious operation against Odessa does exist, but the time the Ukrainian defences have had to prepare makes this an increasingly high risk for the Russian forces. Recent pictures of the Odessa waterfront show the construction of defences, including redoubts, barbed wire and machine gun positions. Ukraine's ability to keep the Russian navy at bay could increase with the help of NATO. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to provide Ukraine with unspecified coastal defence systems, possibly including the Naval Strike Missile (NSM).

Source: maritime executive / Reuters / own research

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