What Ukraine should do immediately in connection with the mining of the Black Sea by the Russian Black Sea Fleet (at least at the Danube mouth and near Zmiinyi Island).

1. Ukraine should urgently propose that the coastal states of the Black Sea (Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey) organize a joint naval humanitarian operation to demine the Black Sea by the Navies of these countries. To do this, it is necessary to quickly create a joint Black Sea minesweeper group.

2. In parallel, it should be proposed that NATO deploy Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) to the Black Sea for the same purpose. Its current composition is as follows: the flagship ESPS Meteoro (Spain), the minesweepers ESPS Sella (Spain), FGS Bad Rappenau (Germany), and ITS Gaeta (Italy). 

3. To support the operation of the joint minesweeper group, it should be proposed that Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey set up another group of surface ships of these countries to cover the minesweepers from the sea and air.

It is also advisable to involve Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2), consisting of frigates and corvettes: the flagship - the frigate Carlo Margottini (Italy), TCG Göksu F-497 (Turkey), ESPS Blas de Lezo F103 (Spain), HS Aegean (Greece), ITS Stromboli (Italy), HMCS Montreal (Canada), and HMS Diamond (UK) . 

4. For air cover of the minesweeper group’s operation, it should be proposed that Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey set up an air group to patrol the airspace not only over the territorial waters of these countries (12-mile zone along the coast) but also the airspace over the maritime exclusive economic zones of these countries (See the map).

At the same time, NATO countries should be asked again to close the sky, however, not over Ukraine, but over the Black Sea, i.e., over the maritime area outside the 12-mile zone along the coast (over the maritime exclusive economic zones of Ukraine and NATO Black Sea countries).

5. The purpose of creating such naval, air, and air defence groups should be not only to demine the Black Sea area but also to create safe conditions for the withdrawal from different ports of Ukraine in the direction of the Bosphorus of dozens of merchant ships that were in Ukrainian ports after the Russian attack on Ukraine on 24/02/2022.

It is known that several such ships have been damaged by Russian missiles, and one of them has sunk.

6. Note that such actions are not only the right but also the obligation of coastal states to ensure the safety of navigation and other maritime activities (such as fishing, submarine cables, pipelines, offshore platforms) in their territorial waters and maritime exclusive economic zones.

7. Of course, in parallel, Ukraine, preferably together with Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, should urgently address such proposals to the UN, NATO, IMO, EU, etc. However, we must understand that the procedures of international organizations are too lengthy, and we need a quick result.

* Mining the area near Zmiinyi Island means blocking the so-called recommended direction of traffic flow for merchant ships that goes from the Bosphorus in the direction of Odesa along the coasts of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine.

P.S. These proposals of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies offer a general plan that can be refined by specialists in maritime law, diplomats, and others.

P.P.S. The main idea of this plan is based on the cooperation between the Black Sea coastal states - Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, which are directly interested in this. If NATO refuses, well, so be it.

P.P.P.S. Mine countermeasures can only be taken outside the war risk area. Therefore, to reduce this war risk area, Russia must be required to withdraw its ships immediately from the area, for which they have issued a naval warning of mine danger - otherwise, they may hit their own mines