Ukrainian security forces are warning residents of the region around the port city of Odesa, located in the south of the country, of life-threatening naval mines installed during the siege of the city. Authorities previously reported the death of a 50-year-old man who died when a mine exploded while swimming in the sea. After all the war misery, a carefree summer is not in it for the inhabitants of Odesa. For example, the authorities speak of a “beach season with explosion risk”.
Security forces advise people to stay away from the beaches, as they are now “hidden ammunition sites”. Last week, a 50-year-old man was killed when an underwater mine exploded while he was swimming in the sea. The man’s body was catapulted to the beach by the impact, while his wife and child were settling there.
It is unclear whether the man died from a Russian or Ukrainian mine. Ukraine has also installed some mines on the beaches to prevent Russian attacks from the Black Sea.
“Peaceful environment destroyed”
Although the explosive mines are underwater, according to the police they could “become on the beach at any time due to the waves”. Last month, for example, a sea mine, believed to be of Russian origin, was found on a beach in the Odesa region after a storm. The Ukrainian army was able to safely destroy the “hostile subject”. “Fortunately, we conduct regular patrols on the beach and there were no beachgoers,” the army said on Facebook.
Mines are located not only in the sea, but in all Ukrainian waterways. For example, several lakes and rivers are full of unexploded ordnance. That’s why specialized teams have to comb the waters to defuse the bombs that Russian soldiers have left behind.
“The Russians have destroyed our peaceful environment,” head of the National Waterways Police Department Andriy Karpyna told The Washington Post. “Normally you would now see hundreds of boats with people enjoying the summer,” it sounded.
Commercial ports
The mines also pose a challenge to other countries, including Turkey and Romania. For example, several bombs from the Black Sea have already landed on the coasts of those countries. Bulgaria also warns people who live near the coast to watch out.
Ammunition concerns are also mounting in key trading ports, such as ports important for the transport of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, the prices of natural gas, oil, fertilizers and foodstuffs have skyrocketed worldwide, partly due to the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports and Western sanctions against Moscow.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week that it would “take some time” to clear Ukraine’s ports, but that “a safe maritime corridor could be established in mineless areas, based on a United Nations proposal.” Nations,” Reuters reported.
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