Turkish forces safely defused another stray naval mine floating off the Black Sea coast, the National Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.
The area was secured immediately after the mine was spotted by patrol aircraft off the coast of Kefken, a small town in the district of Izmit, the ministry said in Twitter, adding that the underwater explosive ordnance disposal units successfully neutralized it.
This is the third sea mine discovered by Turkish authorities since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war, with the first detected off the northern coast of Iğneada near the Bulgarian maritime border and the second spotted at the entrance to the Bosporus in March.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar earlier said that mine hunter vessels along with maritime patrol aircraft are constantly monitoring waterways near Turkish coasts in the Black Sea region to detect and neutralize drifting mines.
Some observers have said the mines drifted from a Ukrainian sea blockade, but that has not been verified.
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of laying mines in the Black Sea, and in late March, Turkish and Romanian military diving teams defused stray mines around their waters.
Maritime officials say the risk of coming across floating mines in the major Black Sea shipping route is adding to perils for merchant ships sailing in the region, and governments must ensure safe passage to keep supply chains running.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with Western countries and their allies implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
At least 1,480 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,195 injured, according to United Nations estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.
More than 4.24 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
