Drifting Mines: Reasonable Doubts in the Black Sea

Translated by Benedetta Morandini

The Black Sea is a minefield. During the initial phase of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, large quantities of Russian underwater explosives were deposited on the seabed near the most important ports of the Republic of Ukraine. There were reports of around 500 units of old Soviet armaments. Similarly, Ukrainian mines were placed on the seabed to hinder the transit of Russian ships in territorial waters. The stakes are high and dangerous, but it is necessary to get a clear understanding to dismiss what might seem insignificant or, conversely, to view things from a new perspective.

It is clear that Moscow's goal in carrying out this activity is to hinder the passage of grain ships as much as possible, thus disrupting Ukraine's trade relations with European partners. However, the issue has escalated after military sources claimed that the mines have shifted over time, moving underwater to reach the borders and exclusive economic zones of other Black Sea countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria. The issue has practical implications, given that there have been several naval incidents involving cargo ships. For instance, in December 2023, a Greek ship headed for the Ukrainian port of Izmail, near Odessa, struck a mine of probable Russian origin, nearly resulting in a collision. The most serious incident occurred on the morning of March 3, 2022, when an Estonian container ship sank 20 kilometres from Odessa following an explosion beneath the hull. The crew, half Russian and half Ukrainian, managed to escape just in time.

But how could underwater mines travel such distances and reach the Bulgarian or Turkish coasts? It's reasonable to express some scepticism, especially since media attention has provided few information on the topic, and there is not even sufficient dissemination.

It seems necessary to understand the physical composition of these armaments. The mines used are of two types: the first are "anchored mines," of ancient use and manufacture, still used today by military navies, especially Russian, Chinese, and Iranian. These spherical explosives, similar to navigation buoys, anchor to the sand and remain on the surface or just below the water level, creating a high-risk zone for ships lacking detection equipment. The second type, much smaller, has a diameter of 30 centimetres and weighs three kilos and is known in the field as "anti-landing mines," placed near the shore to prevent ships engaged in amphibious landing operations from reaching the mainland. If anchored mines were to break free from their moorings, they could reach the Turkish coasts within twenty days, posing an imminent threat to passing merchant ships along the route. This dangerous situation has prompted NATO countries bordering the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey to take necessary security precautions, also because unexploded mines are a heavy legacy left by past naval battles. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the Bulgarian navy has been involved in monitoring and patrolling the most affected waters, primarily the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

The Romanian navy has also intervened with its minesweepers leading the Black Sea naval task force, conducting reconnaissance and clearing operations in territorial waters, simulating detections and neutralizations of explosives, and introducing rigorous training for underwater bomb disposal units. "The mines are small and can be difficult to spot when the sea is rough. Currents can push the mines to the coast, and we are responsible for neutralizing and moving the ordnance to a suitable place for destruction," explained the commander of the diver division, Cătălin Gherghinescu.

The legal aspects of the issue led to the conclusion of an international agreement on January 11, 2024, in Istanbul. The trilateral pact between Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania addressed the problem of maritime security in the Black Sea, protecting and strengthening international trade. The governments of the three countries defined a joint action to remove unexploded Russian mines. The agreement also included the introduction of the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group, an authority responsible for monitoring international mine clearance activities. The strategic objective, as aptly emphasized in a meeting of the Atlantic Council by Todor Tagarev, the Bulgarian Minister of Defense, is to place the Black Sea under total NATO control, without privileged interlocutors, achieving the same conditions as the Baltic Sea after the fall of the Soviet Union: a sea without masters.

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