---
title: "More Than 160 Mines Neutralized in the Black Sea Since the War Began, - Romanian Ministry of Defense"
description: "The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that 161 naval mines have been neutralized in the Black Sea since the start of the full-scale war, with Ukraine neutralizing a significant portion."
date: 2026-10-03T23:04:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/more-than-160-mines-neutralized-in-the-black-sea
tags: [black-sea, romania, ukraine-war, mines, security]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# More Than 160 Mines Neutralized in the Black Sea Since the War Began, - Romanian Ministry of Defense

![Neutralization of naval mines in the Black Sea](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/03/v-chernom-more-s-nachala-voyny-obezvrezheno-bolee-160-min/v-chernom-more-s-nachala-voyny-obezvrezheno-bolee-160-min-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- 161 naval mines have been neutralized in the Black Sea since the war began.
- The Romanian Navy destroyed nine drifting mines in its zone.
- Turkey and the UN are preparing new truce talks to protect grain vessels.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Black Sea has faced an unprecedented naval mine threat. According to official data from the Romanian Ministry of Defense published in October 2026, 161 naval mines have been detected and neutralized in the Black Sea during the years of war. This figure reflects the massive danger that civilian vessels, port infrastructure, and the navies of Black Sea riparian states face on a daily basis.

### Scale of the Threat and Countries' Contributions to Demining

According to the report by the Romanian defense agency, military sailors from Romania directly destroyed nine drifting naval mines within their exclusive economic zones. The rest and the vast majority of dangerous munitions were neutralized by Ukraine's forces, as well as with the participation of other partners in the Black Sea region. Drifting mines have repeatedly broken away from their anchors due to storm winds, after which they moved unpredictably across the waters, posing a navigation threat not only to the warring parties but also to neutral merchant vessels flying the flags of third countries.

### Contradictory Data

Analyzing official reports from various agencies regarding the pace and total number of neutralized mines, experts note certain discrepancies in the statistics. While the Romanian Ministry of Defense records 161 cases of successful ammunition neutralization across the entire Black Sea region as of autumn 2026, Ukrainian military sources and international monitoring groups periodically provide their own operational summaries, which may slightly differ in the details of the distribution of mines by sectors of responsibility. Such discrepancies are due to the dynamic nature of mine drift and different calculation methodologies in territorial waters and the open sea.

### Diplomatic Initiatives and Navigation Safety

The security problem in the Black Sea remains a key factor for global food security. Earlier, international agencies, in particular Bloomberg, reported that Turkey and the UN are preparing a new round of diplomatic negotiations between Ukraine and Russia aimed at achieving a local truce in the Black Sea to protect grain vessels. The main goal of these efforts remains the stabilization of global food prices and ensuring uninterrupted grain supplies to international markets. In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated a proposal for a reciprocal ceasefire in the region, which received a positive response from international partners.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [В Черном море с начала войны обезврежено более 160 мин, - Минобороны Румынии](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chornomu-mori-pochatku-viyni-zneshkodzheno-1791067059.html) - Данные о 161 обезвреженной мине и участие Румынии и Украины.
- [В Минобороны Румынии сообщили, сколько мин было обезврежено в Чёрном море с начала войны](https://www.obozrevatel.com/section-novosti-mir/news-u-minoborony-rumuniyi-rozpovily-skilky-min-zneshkodyly-v-chornomu-mori-vid-pochatku-viyny-04-10-2026.html) - Подтверждение статистики министерства обороны Румынии.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many mines in total have been neutralized in the Black Sea?
**A:** According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense as of October 2026, 161 naval mines have been neutralized in the Black Sea.

### Q: How many mines did the Romanian Navy destroy?
**A:** The Romanian Navy eliminated nine drifting mines within its exclusive economic zone.