Authorities in Turkey have warned sea vessels to stay away as a "mine-like object" was found floating north of Istanbul near the Black Sea. The object was found by divers days after Russia warned that mines had drifted away from Ukrainian ports.
Turkey's defence ministry said on Twitter that the team had secured the object and had begun deactivating it.
Fishermen first spotted the object near a docking area in the upper Bosphorus strait - through which the Black Sea drains - and reported it to the Coast Guard, the Directorate General of Coastal Safety told Reuters.
A directorate spokesperson confirmed a report in the Milliyet newspaper that authorities issued a radio notice to boats that the object was reportedly "shaped like a ball with horn-like protrusions", and was "likely to be a mine".
Turkey shares Black Sea borders with Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow invaded last month.
Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry reported that at least 10 Ukrainian mines had broken anchor and were drifting in the western part of the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil and oil products.
