Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Mikhail Popov said on Thursday that the storm with nine-meter waves that passed in November through the Black Sea may have "dispersed" Ukrainian minefields, increasing the danger for civilians.
In an interview for Komsomolskaya Pravda, Popov confirmed that detached mines allegedly owned by Kiev "were found off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, as well as off the Turkish coast near the Bosphorus" and have already affected Ukrainian vessels.
He also slammed Western allies and Ukraine claiming that their actions "have turned the Black Sea basin into an extremely dangerous region for navigation for many years. And this will have a negative impact on the economy of all Black Sea states." "The emerging risks to navigation in the Black Sea once again confirm the irreversibility of Russia's goals of the special military operation" in Ukraine, he added.