Demining of Ukrainian port waters with the help of modern drones could take about 10 days.
The TIS terminal group’s co-owner Andrii Stavnitser stated this in an interview with the LB Live channel, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Elevatorist publication.
"About 10 days are needed to demine Ukrainian ports. Technology has taken a big step forward in this area. Two types of drones do this. There are aerial drones that fly. Such a drone is similar to a helicopter and it is quite large. It flies within a certain square, scans the territory for detached mines that are floating, finds them, identifies them, and a boat with sappers is sent there. Turkey and Romania currently use such drones... There are maritime drones that float. They look for mines located at a certain depth," Stavnitser said.
"Speaking of Ukrainian mines, there is a map of mines, and I am sure that our military can clear a corridor in a week," he added.
At the same time, he noted that the issue of lifting the blockade of Ukrainian ports “primarily lies in the plane of resolution through diplomatic means.”
"Unfortunately, our problem does not have a military solution because merchant shipping is not a military fleet. It involves crews, shipping agents, and navigation – something similar to aviation but slower and larger. I also believe that not a single insurance company will let these ships sail without agreement. In my opinion, this agreement can only be reached through the UN, through some humanitarian corridor. Maybe under the protection of warships, if necessary, and most likely Turkish ships," Stavnitser said.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that there are currently no agreements between Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia on lifting the blockade of Ukrainian ports. According to the ministry, any agreement that does not take Ukraine’s interests into account will be rejected.
