A sea mine that washed ashore near the town of Prymorske in Odesa Oblast after recent storms was disabled by counter-mine units from Ukraine's navy, according to an announcement by the navy's official Facebook page on Dec. 4.
The navy said that "the coasts and coastal waters of the Black Sea remain a fairly dangerous zone due to the threat of mines, in particular, during stormy weather."
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.
Sea mines have also killed and wounded civilians at beaches and in the Black Sea.
The flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023, which was blown up by Russian forces, has also dislodged landmines and swept them into the Black Sea, leading to an increased threat of them ending up on Ukrainian seashores.
Several beaches in Odesa officially reopened in August 2023, made possible by the installation of anti-mine nets.
Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20 that NATO members Bulgaria, Turkey, and Romania were close to agreeing on the creation of a joint mine-clearing force to address the issue of mines drifting into their respective territorial waters.
Rich Wordsworth
