Skip to content

News Feed

Ukraine Daily
News from
Ukraine in your
inbox
9:12 AM
Ukraine continues negotiations with the Polish government, and some points of contact have been found, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych commented. "And we really hope that these proposals, which we worked out together with the Polish government, will be enough for the protesters to stop the protest."
8:11 AM
Russia has lost 332,810 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 4. This number includes 770 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
5:21 AM
The Russian state is censoring relatives of mobilized Russian personnel on social media for fear of their protests' possible negative effects on Vladimir Putin's still unannounced 2024 presidential campaign, the Institute for the Study of War reported in their daily assessment on Dec. 3.
8:09 PM
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko arrived in China for negotiations on economic and trade investments with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Lukashenko's press office reported on Dec. 3.
MORE NEWS
Edit post

NATO members nearing deal on joint Black Sea mine-clearing force

by Nate Ostiller and The Kyiv Independent news desk November 20, 2023 7:35 PM 2 min read
Barrier nets installed on a beach to block access to the Black Sea due to the danger of mines in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 4, 2022. (Nina Liashonok/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

NATO members Bulgaria, Turkey, and Romania are close to reaching an agreement on the creation of a joint mine-clearing force to address the issue of mines drifting into their respective territorial waters, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20, citing unnamed officials familiar with the plan.

According to Bloomberg, the countries' defense ministries did not comment, but sources noted that their respective deputy defense ministers were set to meet on Nov. 22.

The supposed meeting comes after Turkey’s Navy Chief Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu said that the presence of navy ships from other NATO members, including the U.S., in the Black Sea would possibly increase tensions.

The proposed plan would be peaceful in nature and focused on reducing the danger that errant mines pose to shipping routes through the Black Sea. It would not be consided a NATO effort.

It would, however, be the first joint action of Black Sea allies since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Hundreds of sea mines, deployed by both Russia and Ukraine, are spread throughout the Black Sea. On several occasions, civilian ships or navy ships belonging to countries not party to the war have struck sea mines since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

A Liberian-flagged oil tanker hit a mine in the Black Sea off the Romanian coast on Oct. 15, and a Turkish cargo ship suffered minor damage from a mine 20 kilometers from the Romanian port of Sulina on Oct. 5.

On Oct. 4, British intelligence issued a report cautioning that Russia may use sea mines to target civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea, and then blame Ukraine after the fact.

The State Border Guard of Ukraine warned that the Black Sea had become unsafe in the aftermath of Russia's destruction of the Nova Khakovka dam in June 2023.

In addition to the garbage, debris, and dead animals resulting from the dam explosion, floating mines and ammunition also littered the water.

Russia is covering Ukraine with landmines. Clearing them will be extremely difficult
In March 2022 right after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a cell phone video apparently taken by a Russian soldier captured two “Zemledeliye” mobile mine-laying systems thought to be stationed in Kharkiv Oblast. Positioned against a drab backdrop of what was once farmland, the “Zemledeli…
Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe

Please, enter correct email address

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.