Russia mined the economic zone and territorial sea of Ukraine at the very beginning of the full-scale invasion. There are at least 450 mines, 30 of which were discovered during the year.
“They have been mining the sea since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, back then there were talks about 450 sea mines that could be scattered over the economic zone and territorial sea of Ukraine. This year alone, more than 30 mines of various types and threats have been discovered,” Natalia Humeniuk, head of the joint press center of the Operational Command “South”, said during the United News telethon.
She noted that the presence of a large number of mines in the Black Sea had been taken into account when opening the humanitarian corridor.
In particular, the Defense Forces of Ukraine established special conditions for shipowners who decide to use this corridor.
“We discuss the need for additional guarantees from international partners, as was the case with the grain initiative when the UN and Türkiye supported us. This caused additional problems for Russia regarding possible provocations, for example, in the air, which made such attacks by tactical aircraft in the grain corridor area impossible. Therefore, we count on the support of our partners, we work independently and continue to offer creative solutions to clear the sea and ensure security in this region,” Humeniuk added.
As reported, more than 200,000 ha of agricultural land out of 470,000 designated as priority have already been inspected for mines in Ukraine, and 120,000 ha have been returned to cultivation.
Source: Thirty Russian mines discovered in Ukraine’s territorial sea this year
