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By David Brennan
Diplomatic Correspondent
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NATO warships in the Mediterranean have completed drills focused on navigating "challenging" simulated minefields, as the West presses Russia to end its renewed—but porous—blockade of the Black Sea.
NATO Allied Maritime Command said on Sunday that seven warships from four NATO nations—Italy, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.—were involved in the drills, including frigates, destroyers and minehunters. In the exercise, the minehunters identified and cleared a path through the mines, while the other ships defended against simulated air, missile and surface attacks.
The vessels were operating as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). Those involved were the Turkish TCG Erdek and TCG Gokceada; Italian ITS Stromboli, ITS Viareggio, and ITS Carabiniere; the British HMS Duncan; and the American USS Ramage.
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"Exercise role players placed a simulated minefield across a narrow maritime chokepoint—a navigationally constrained passage of water that naturally channels merchant shipping traffic as the shortest route between key destinations," the NATO Allied Maritime Command statement said.
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"Such a minefield is a formidable obstacle to the passage of ships, especially when combined with the risk of attack from hostile aircraft and fast attack surface vessels. It also represents a realistic scenario faced by warships or merchant vessels.
"There is potential for aggressors to close off maritime chokepoints through use of sea mines or coastal forces, hence Allied navies must be ready to react to maintain freedom of navigation through these vital shipping routes."
Commander, SNMG2 Royal Navy Commodore Paul Stroude, said: "Both the world economy and our daily existence are utterly reliant on merchant shipping. It is vital that we are able to keep these strategic routes open such that merchant vessels are able to pass through them safely."
NATO's flexing of its minesweeping muscles comes as Russia seeks to reimpose a blockade of civilian shipping in the northwestern portion of the Black Sea, following its withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative grain deal last month.
The agreement had been in place since July 2022 to safeguard ships carrying vital agricultural products from Russian and Ukrainian ports. Kyiv and Moscow penned separate deals with Turkey and the United Nations to facilitate the exports, allowing some 36 million tons of grain to pass unimpeded in the subsequent 12 months.
The Kremlin—which has been throttling Black Sea shipping despite the deal—announced it would no longer adhere to the initiative following Ukraine's July attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge. Any civilian ships heading to Ukrainian ports, Moscow said, would be considered potential military targets.
Western and Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia's Black Sea Fleet might target civilian ships. The White House said in mid-July that Russian forces had already laid new naval mines on the approach to Ukrainian ports.
Six ships managed to break the blockade earlier this week, heading through the Black Sea and toward Ukrainian ports on the Danube river, reportedly under the watch of U.S. surveillance aircraft.
But Russia is continuing its attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure, and on Tuesday night launched a drone attack on grain storage facilities on the Danube, close to the Romanian border.
NATO, meanwhile, has said it will increase the number of air force patrol flights and drone deployments in the Black Sea, noting that Russia's attempt to reimpose its blockade has "created new risks for miscalculation and escalation."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry by email to request comment.
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