Ukraine Warns Of Need To Demine The Black Sea

Ukraine has invited NATO countries to join it in a program to demine the Black Sea. Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, commander of Ukraine’s Navy, said in a July 2 interview with ArmiyaInform that Kyiv was “preparing to launch a countermining operation…in the Black Sea at the first opportunity.” He added that “there are certain agreements” with NATO countries and other partners to participate in the work. Neizhpapa added that, since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam last month, the number of mines has increased dramatically, as various Russian defenses in the Dnieper River were washed into the Black Sea. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, click here.