Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye are set to enhance their security operations in the Black Sea by expanding their activities under the NATO Mine Countermeasures Group. This initiative will now include the protection of critical underwater infrastructure, alongside the existing focus on detecting and neutralizing sea mines and drones.
According to Bulgarian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihailov, the expanded mission will begin once ratified by the Turkish Parliament. The plan involves identifying and safeguarding underwater infrastructure deemed essential to national and regional security. Such infrastructure may include gas and oil pipelines, internet and fibre-optic cables, and electricity connections traversing the Black Sea.
Rear Admiral Mihailov highlighted that since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Bulgarian Navy has been actively protecting the country’s maritime areas. Bulgarian forces have successfully destroyed six floating mines and identified over 100 drones and their remnants, with 35 of these considered a genuine threat and subsequently neutralized.
The Bulgarian armed forces are also engaged in joint operations to ensure continuous monitoring of the nation’s territorial waters, with the navy taking a leading role. These efforts are part of broader collaboration with neighboring Black Sea countries and international partners, including the involvement of a US maritime patrol aircraft in surveillance activities.
This enhanced mission is aimed at bolstering maritime security, defending vital underwater infrastructure, and improving coordination among NATO members in the Black Sea region, amid ongoing security challenges in the area.