Russian invaders planted mines from Bosphorus to Odesa and simultaneously lied that these were the Ukrainian mines that drifted away because of the storm.
Chairman of the Black Sea Institute for Strategic Studies projects, Andrii Klymenko, reported the news on Facebook.
It was emphasized that the port of Sochi addressed ship owners and captains in the region with a warning on March 18 about the threat of
“Ukrainian Navy mines that are drifting in the Black Sea.”
The warning, signed on March 18 by Sochi Port Captain Vyacheslav Rumyantsev, says:
“According to the hydrographic service of the Black Sea, amid the storm, moored naval mines planted by the Ukrainian Navy, close to the ports of Odesa, Ochakiv, Chornomorsk (approximately 420 mines) have drifted away. Please take special precautions while sailing in the southwestern and the northwestern parts of the Black Sea due to the possibility of drifting mines setting off”.
Klymenko emphasizes this warning is aimed to prevent commercial marine traffic in the Black Sea. Thus, it requires the immediate deployment of the NATO Permanent Mine and Trawler group into the Black Sea.
“According to the BlackSeaNews sources, the mines were planted by the Black Sea fleet of Russian Federation along the recommended commercial marine routes from Bosphorus to Odesa, this is covered by the lie, that “the Ukrainian mines drifted away amid the storm.” It is impossible to count the number of drifting mines in the stormy sea unless you planted it,” - noted Klymenko.
Bosphorus is a 30km long strait in Turkey connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Along with the Dardanelles strait, Bosphorus is one of the most critical waterways connecting the water area of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Earlier, on March 14, The Great Britain Defence Ministry announced that Russian forces blocked the Ukrainian Black Sea shore, thus cutting it off from the international maritime trade.