Turkey briefly stops traffic in Bosphorus Strait to defuse mine

Turkish troops deactivated mines drifting from the Black Sea and triggered a major explosion a few days after warning Russia that it was being washed away from a Ukrainian port.

On Saturday, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar described the object, first discovered by fishermen in the upper Bosphorus, as an old mine type and said it was in contact with both Russian and Ukrainian authorities.

The blast was heard north of Istanbul, where naval vessels, military aircraft and helicopters were active. “The mine, which was determined to be of the old type, was incapacitated by our team … and the Navy remains vigilant,” Akar said in a television statement.

Traffic shortstop The minister added that maritime traffic was safely opened after coordination between the Turkish Coast Guard and the Navy. Last Saturday, the Coast Guard said traffic in both directions had ceased after a private merchant ship found a landmine-like object. The Coast Guard warned the ship to stay away from round objects swaying in the waves, and the dive team first participated in the investigation. Turkey shares the Black Sea border with Russia and Ukraine, which invaded Moscow last month.

Russia’s highest intelligence agency said Monday that several mines had drifted into the sea after cutting cables near a port in Ukraine. Kyiv dismissed the attempt to block disinformation and parts of the sea. Akar has been informed on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides regarding rumors that underwater mines laid by Ukraine to repel Russian attacks in an ongoing war may be drifting across the Black Sea. And said that adjustments are in progress

The Black Sea is an important transport artery for grain and petroleum products. It is connected to Marmara and the Mediterranean Sea via the Bosphorus Strait, which runs through the center of Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city with a population of 16 million, and the Dardaneres Strait in northwestern Turkey.