Moscow Denies Kiev's Claims On Russian Mines In Back Sea, Says Ukrainian Navy Left Mines

The Ukrainian Navy placed 420 anchor mines in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea from February 25 to March 4, Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday, denying claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia was allegedly mining the Black Sea

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2022) The Ukrainian Navy placed 420 anchor mines in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea from February 25 to March 4, Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Thursday, denying claims by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia was allegedly mining the Black Sea.

"Taking into account Zelenskyy's ignorance of the real situation outside Kiev and the activities of his own subordinates, we officially announce. From February 25 and March 4, ... (the Ukrainian Navy) set up about 420 marine anchor mines of the outdated YM-1type in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas," Konashenkov told reporters.

As a result of a storm in the Black Sea and due to unsatisfactory technical condition, cables with bottom anchors broke at about 10 Ukrainian mines.

"Since then, under the influence of wind and surface currents, Ukrainian mines have been drifting freely in the western part of the Black Sea in the southerly direction," Konashenkov said, noting that no one can know where the remaining Ukrainian mines are drifting today.

The Russian official also denied Zelenskyy's statement alleging that about 100 foreign ships are blocked in Ukrainian ports, saying that it is Kiev that is currently forcibly keeping 68 ships from different countries in the ports of four cities.

Russia opens every day a safe corridor for the exit of these vessels from the territorial waters of Ukraine in the south-western direction, but their crews told Russian military that the ships are banned from leaving the Ukrainian ports "under the threat of immediate flooding," the official added.