Turkey discovers naval mine near EU country’s border — Analysis

Russia had previously warned that several Ukrainian mines have drifted away from the country’s ports
The Turkish Defense Ministry reported Monday that a naval mine was found in the Black Sea, off northern Turkey’s coast, close to the border with Bulgaria.
The ministry announced on Twitter that a team of Underwater Defense (SAS), sappers, was deployed in the vicinity of the port city of Igneada in order to disable the device.
Turkey had on Saturday already destroyed a straymine near Bosphorus Strait. This was described as an “old type,”This was used during World War II by the Soviet Military.
Traffic along the Bosphorus was briefly halted due to the discovery. This is a vital transport link between the Black Sea, the Mediterranean. Turkish authorities banned night-time black sea fishing.
According to media reports, a second mine was discovered and demolished in the region.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had earlier warned that a number of antique naval mines, which it says were planted by Ukraine along the Black Sea coast in the wake of the Russian military operation in the country, have detached from their anchors due to stormy weather and drifted away.
Kiev denied these claims and described them Russian disinformation to cover up the need for closing off certain parts of sea.
Russia sent its troops into Ukraine over a month ago, following a seven-year standoff over Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, and Russia’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. French- and German-brokered protocols were designed to normalize those areas within Ukraine’s state.
Russia now demands that Ukraine declare itself neutral and vows to not join NATO’s military bloc. Kiev maintains that Russia’s offensive was not provoked and denies claims that it intended to seize the two republics with force.
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