MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Stray mines floating along the Black Sea coast will continue to pose a threat to the countries of the region if weather conditions worsen as mines will reach Romania in four days and Bulgaria in ten days, Head of Russia’s National Defense Management Center Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev said on Saturday.
"If weather conditions in the northern part of the Black Sea worsen, a threat will emerge that stray mines will continue floating along the Black Sea coastline. The floating mines will reach Romania’s territorial waters in four days and Bulgaria in ten days," Mizintsev noted.
According to him, 67 foreign vessels remain blocked in Ukrainian ports. "The threat of shelling attacks created by Kiev in Ukraine’s territorial waters, as well as a high mine threat, are preventing ships from safely leaving the ports of Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhny," the general specified. He stressed that "Russia opens a humanitarian corridor in the southwest direction every day between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm Moscow time, which is 80 nautical miles long and three nautical miles wide. However, Ukraine has so far shown no willingness to ensure the safe passage of foreign ships," Mizintsev pointed out. He once again called on the international community, namely the International Maritime Organization, to influence the Kiev authorities and take effective measures to ensure the safe departure of foreign vessels from Ukrainian ports.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said earlier on Saturday that a mine, determined to be an old type, had been detected in the Bosphorus Strait. According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, the mine was deactivated.