Odesa’s military administration have decided to close beaches during the summer season due to the danger that the occupiers may strike at crowds of people. However, there is another danger – mines. During the early days of the invasion in February, Russian occupiers mined the Black Sea, with stormy weather causing some mines to drift to the coast.
In 2014, after the occupation of Crimea by Russian troops, Odesa Region became the main holiday resort center of Ukraine, with millions of tourists flocking to the beaches of Odesa in the summer.
On August 14, a group of men blew up a landmine while violating the prohibition resting of on the beach in Zatoka in Odesa Region, resulting in the deaths of time men and serious injuries sustained by a third individual.
“According to preliminary data, a group of men, ignoring the announced restrictions on visiting the coast and swimming in coastal waters, disregarding warning signs, arranged a vacation with swimming on one of the beaches,” reported the Operational Command of Ukrainian Army South.
“While swimming, an explosion of an unknown explosive device killed two on the spot, and one was injured.”
The Russian army uses floating mines that it regularly brings to the shores of the Odesa region. Several mines have so far been found and neutralized by the Ukrainian military. Since the beginning of summer, five people have already died because of the mines in the Black Sea.
One of the tragic incidents occurred on June 11 in the village of Hrybovka, Odesa region. Despite the restriction a man went to rest on the beach with his family. He decided to check the depth of the water but came across a Russian mine and was instantly killed in the subsequent blast.
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On July 15, another man was blown up in the sea in the Odesa region. Ignoring the prohibition, the resident decided to swim into the sea and was blown up after making contact with a mine.
The US State Department intends to allocate $89 million for demining Ukraine, with US authorities admitting that because of the war Ukraine has faced “one of the most serious problems – with land mines and unexploded ordnance in recent decades.”
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