Mines from Odesa can drift to the shores of Romania and Bulgaria.

Mines from the Black Sea can reach the shores of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and the demining after the war will take a long Time.

Mines are drifting westward

To prevent drifting, mines are secured with a special cable, but storms can sometimes break them loose. And then they float to the coast — from Mykolaiv to Odesa, and they can even reach the shores of other countries. There have already been cases of such events.

'Mines float, so they start to drift. At first, they go along our coastline, and then they may reach Romania, Bulgaria, even the Bosphorus. They have been spotted and neutralized there,' explains representative of the Ukrainian Navy Dmytro Pletenchuk.

According to Dmytro Pletenchuk, complete clearing of the waters of the Black and Azov Seas may take from 3 to 5 years, while some types of work could even take decades.

Recently, we reported on the threat from mines in Mykolaiv and about training for sea demining during international exercises.

The western shores of the Black Sea may be at risk due to mines drifting after the war. Demining the waters may take decades. The most effective safety measures are needed to avoid threats to the life and health of residents and tourists along the coast.