The third flotilla was found in the river after Moscow alerted that Ukraine had attacked its coasts with old munitions.
The Romanian military destroyed a stray naval mine discovered on Monday some 39 nautical miles (71km) away from the country’s Black Sea shore.
An object suspected of being a mine was first discovered floating in the country’s waters by a fishing boat, the captain of which alerted the authorities. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, a minesweeper boat was sent to the scene and the object was found to be a mine. The mine was examined by divers who determined that the high-velocity, shaped explosive charge would destroy it on site.
Images released by the Romanian military show a classic ‘horned death’ naval mine apparently of the small anchored mine type – a Soviet-made munition dating back to the WWII-era.
Misiune de neutralizare a unei mine marine îndeplinită de marinarii militari româniEliminarea pericolului care plutea în zona de responsabilitate a Forțelor Navale Române a constat în montarea unei încărcături explozive pe mină de către scafandrii EOD și detonarea de la distanță pic.twitter.com/LF3UoXDh8A
— MApN (@MApNRomania) March 28, 2022
The mine looked freshly painted with black markings on it and had little rust. The device had seemingly not been properly armed, however, and the protective caps covering its detonator ‘horns’ had failed to detach, so it had remained intact while adrift.
This latest incident occurred shortly after another naval mine had been discovered near the Turkish maritime border with Bulgaria. On Saturday, a third mine was found by the Turkish SAS Team near Bosphorus Strait.
The string of incidents with stray miners comes amid ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. The issue was first brought to light a week ago by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), which stated that the Ukrainian military had placed anchor mines along its Black Sea coast to prevent a potential amphibious assault by the Russian Navy. According to the FSB, a few of the Soviet-made antique mines had been found and were now freed from cables. The FSB warned that they could be lost across the Black Sea, into Bosphorus Strait, then onto the Mediterranean.
Although the Ukrainian side denied the claims, it insisted the mine fear was Russian disinformation, used as an excuse to close down some parts of the sea. Some Ukrainian media outlets went even further, claiming the mines had been placed along the country’s coast by Russia itself.
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