Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The Kremlin denies the accussations and say, the mines are Ukrainian.
Tensions between Romania and Russia have escalated following conflicting claims about dangerous sea mines driftin in the Black Sea.
Officials in Bucharest and Moscow are offering sharply different explanations.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense (MApN) said on Friday, March 27, that responsibility for the drifting marine mines lies entirely with Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
According to the ministry, the presence of mines is directly linked to Russia’s military operations against Ukraine. It added that attempts to shift blame are efforts to mislead public opinion and obscure the real source of the threat.
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Rising tensions
According to Ziare, the Russian Embassy responded after Romania’s defense minister said earlier in the week that the country had dealt with mines originating from Russia. In a social media post, Russian diplomats rejected that claim.
They stated that “the drifting marine mines in the Black Sea are exclusively of Ukrainian origin and have no connection with Russia.”
The embassy also referred to earlier warnings issued in March 2022 by Russia’s Federal Security Service. It said Ukrainian naval forces had deployed hundreds of older mines near key ports including Odessa and Chernomorsk.
Competing claims
Russian officials said storms broke the cables anchoring the devices, allowing them to drift into the western Black Sea and toward the Bosphorus.
Romanian authorities, however, maintain that the danger stems from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and accuse Moscow of trying to divert attention from the facts, Ziare reports.
The exchange marks the latest diplomatic confrontation between the two sides, as security concerns in the Black Sea remain unresolved.
Sources: Ziare.com, official statements from Romania’s Ministry of National Defense and the Russian Embassy in Bucharest
