RO Defence Ministry: No threats from Ukraine to tourists on Black Sea riviera

The Romanian minister of defence Vasile Dancu assured that the Romanians on vacation on the Black Sea coast "are in no danger."

His statement comes on the day when Ukraine announced efforts to regain control over the Snake Island, a rock in the Black Sea close to Romania's territory that was occupied weeks ago by Russia and turned into a monitoring site.

"I was asked today if there is any danger to the people spending their vacations on the Black Sea coast. We can say there is no danger; they should not worry," minister Dîncu said, quoted by News.ro.

The authorities are screening the sea for mines and are carrying out demining procedures, he added. "There is a concern for us because there is a conflict at a distance of about 50 kilometres from Romania's borders; Snake Island is occupied by devices that not only deal with radar surveillance. We are talking about these types of threats, from a rather strategic point of view - there is no direct threat in connection with the population in those areas," Dîncu said.

Besides the proximity of the Snake island, Romania's riviera faces environmental risk as the conflict extends around oil fields resulting in the spilling of petroleum products.

Ukraine announced on June 21 that it was targeting drilling rigs in the Black Sea, used, it claimed, as military "installations" by the Russians to consolidate their control in the region.

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