A suspected Russian sea mine with a 480kg payload has washed up on the shore of a Turkish holiday resort.
The device was spotted at Agva, about three-and-a-half hours drive from the capital Istanbul.
Video footage showed the “sea mine” floating in the water and being swept ashore by the waves.
Eight merchant vessels were reported to have been within ten nautical miles of the device around the time it was spotted by local residents who alerted the police.
They cordoned off the area and it was due to be blown up on Monday at the Black Sea resort, located where the Goksu and Yesilcay rivers meet, and which has a popular beach, shops, and restaurants.
“Ambrey has assessed that this is likely a KPM pressure-triggered sea mine carrying 480kg of payload,” said maritime security organisation Ambrey Intelligence.
“The sea mine is likely deployed by Russian forces. Local residents reportedly spotted the object in the water and alerted the authorities.
“Law enforcement secured the area and scheduled detonation for 23 December.
“Both Russia and Ukraine continue to deploy sea mines in the Black Sea that drift due to currents.”
Ambrey has previously reported the discovery of sea mines off the coasts of Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The maritime security organisation advises ships using the Black Sea to conduct “comprehensive dynamic voyage threat assessments”, to minimize sailing during low visibility conditions in the northern Black Sea and to post lookouts to spot suspicious objects on the water’s surface.
Vladimir Putin’s navy has suffered a series of defeats in the Black Sea, including losing its flagship Moskva in April 2022, since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.
Putin’s navy has been forced to retreat from parts of the Black Sea and around annexed Crimea after being targeted with a series of missiles strikes by Ukraine, some reportedly using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
Russia has sought to block grain and other exports from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea including Odesa.
