ANKARA, March 28. /TASS/. The Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced on Monday that a mine was found in the Black Sea near the border with Bulgaria.
"On March 28, 2022, a mine was discovered near the border with Bulgaria off the coast of Igneada, where an underwater defense team was promptly sent. The mine was secured, and work to defuse it is underway," the statement says.
On March 26, the Dogan agency reported that an object resembling a mine was discovered by fishermen. Later, the Turkish Ministry of Defense issued a statement affirming that the object in question was neutralized. According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, he discussed this issue with Russian and Ukrainian representatives. Akar also stated that after the incident, Turkish Navy minesweepers were put on duty in the region.
On March 19, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that mines placed by Ukraine’s Navy at the approaches to Black Sea ports may drift toward the Bosporus and the Mediterranean Sea due to cable breaks. The agency stressed that Ukraine’s armed forces have "once again demonstrated [their] utter ignorance of fundamental international laws and disregard for human lives, including [those] of European Union nationals."
According to the 1907 Hague VIII (Convention relative to the Laying of Automatic Submarine Contact Mines), international law prohibits the placement of automatic anchor mines, which are not rendered harmless once they break their moorings.