{"id":30281,"date":"2021-08-09T09:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T09:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/09\/after-2014-decimation-ukrainian-navy-rebuilds-to-fend-off-russia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:27:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:27:06","slug":"after-2014-decimation-ukrainian-navy-rebuilds-to-fend-off-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2021\/08\/09\/after-2014-decimation-ukrainian-navy-rebuilds-to-fend-off-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"After 2014 decimation, Ukrainian Navy rebuilds to fend off Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ODESA, Ukraine \u2014 When Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, it absorbed land and people. But in the process, and with less attention, Russia also took 75 percent of Ukraine\u2019s naval fleet, the majority of its helicopters and the bulk of the country\u2019s ship repair capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Sevastopol Naval Base gone, the Ukrainian Navy essentially needed to start from scratch. Seventy percent of naval personnel either defected or were dismissed, <\/a>and the fleet was now just one frigate \u2014 a ship that had been deployed at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, the United States, the United Kingdom and other NATO members have guided the Black Sea nation to rebuild its fleet as well as its ground and special operations forces. And this summer, the effort has taken another step forward by helping the nation achieve interoperability with NATO forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practical terms, that support has led to a \u201cmosquito fleet\u201d of small vessels for near-shore operations to protect Ukraine\u2019s territorial waters and shorelines, said Cmdr. Daniel Marzluff of 6th Fleet, one of the U.S. Navy\u2019s experts on the region. Teams also improved Ukraine\u2019s ability to send and receive information as well as tap into the Black Sea Maritime Domain Awareness project, which is led by the United States and involves Ukraine, Georgia, Romania and Bulgaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In strategic terms, the support is meant as a sign to Russia that the West backs Ukraine and its national security interests, said Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn talking about the Black Sea region, you really have to start with Russia\u2019s role in the region and how it has sought to dominate its neighbors in the Black Sea,\u201d she told Defense News in a June 18 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2014, we saw Russia fomenting a war with Ukraine and occupying Crimea, an area into which Russia has brought significant military capability. So when we think about the Sea Breeze exercise, what\u2019s interesting is it\u2019s been around for a long time \u2014 this is the 21st iteration of this exercise, with [about 30] countries participating \u2014 but of course this shadow of Russian aggression is cast over the region. And it\u2019s one of the reasons why we really do have to work to build the resilience of countries in the region and partner with them and ensure that our forces are interoperable with their forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Equipping Ukraine<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Sea Breeze 21 exercise in the Black Sea the largest ship Ukraine put to sea was a Sea Guard vessel that falls under the State Border Guard Service, an organization akin to the U.S. Coast Guard. Two Ukrainian Navy vessels played the role of aggressor, around which larger warships practiced maneuvering \u2014 a sign that the organization is still in its \u201cmosquito fleet\u201d phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marzluff said that when Ukraine lost the bulk of its fleet, it couldn\u2019t start over with large combatants. Instead, the country has invested in small patrol boats that make up most of today\u2019s fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the United States\u2019 biggest contributions are patrol boats. The U.S. committed to donating five Island-class patrol boats, formerly used by the Coast Guard, through the Excess Defense Articles program. Two were delivered in 2018, and another three approved in a 2019 request are being prepared for transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Liberty prepares to moor at their homeport of Juneau, Alaska, on March 13, 2018. (Lt. Brian Dykens\/U.S. Coast Guard)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At 34 meters in length, each patrol boat is a quarter of the length of a Ukrainian frigate, and about one-twentieth of a frigate\u2019s displacement. But the boats would still be among the larger ships in the fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. also approved the sale of up to 16 Mk VI patrol boats<\/a> in June 2020, which, at about 26 meters long, are similar in size to the other classes of patrol boats in Ukraine\u2019s fleet. The U.S. Navy uses these SAFE Boats International-made craft for riverine and coastal security missions. That initial approval still requires congressional consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the Pentagon in March 2021 approved a $125 million aid package<\/a> that included two Mk VI boats \u2014 bringing Ukraine\u2019s fleet up to eight of the planned 16 \u2014 as well as counter-artillery radars, satellite imagery and analysis capabilities, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another $150 million package approved in June included counter-drone systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare systems and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As its fleet grows, Ukraine can also invest in ways to increase ships\u2019 presence and combat credibility by adding weapons and lengthening deployments. The country plans to eventually procure larger corvettes and frigates in the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, a Ukrainian official revealed on Turkish television that his country ordered two Ada-class corvettes in a December 2020 deal. Ukraine\u2019s consul general in Istanbul, Alexander Haman, said the two vessels will be co-produced by Turkey\u2019s state-controlled defense technologies company STM and a Ukrainian shipyard. The first vessel is to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of 2023 unfinished, and then completed in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ada-class corvette can perform location, classification, identification and destruction of air, surface and underwater targets as well as provide naval gunfire support. It can also perform maritime surveillance, patrol missions, and coastal and infrastructure protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 99.44-meter vessel has a maximum speed of 29 knots. It can carry two S70 Seahawk helicopters. Its sensors and weapons include 3D radar. It will also be equipped with electro-optical sensors, an electronic support system, a laser warning system, a torpedo detection\/countermeasure capability, hull-mounted sonar, and two 12.7mm guns with an electro-optical capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hand with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara on Aug. 7, 2019. (Adem Altan\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian Navy plans to deploy the corvettes in both the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the Defence Ministry announced July 15 that the Navy accepted delivery of the first Bayraktar TB2 drone<\/a> from Turkish defense company Baykar. After completing acceptance tests, the armed drone, along with mobile control terminals and spare parts, will be deployed at the Navy\u2019s 10th Naval Aviation Brigade in Mykolaiv. In May, the service\u2019s chief of staff said the drones will operate in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marzluff is excited to see the focus on naval power after efforts immediately following the 2014 annexation centered on growing and training Ukraine\u2019s ground forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. also accelerated assistance<\/a> following a 2018 incident in the Kerch Strait, where Russia fired upon and then captured three Ukrainian naval vessels as well as their combined 24 crew members. The ships were transiting the strait that connects international waters in the Black Sea to the Ukrainian and Russian territorial waters in the Sea of Azov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRussia has essentially tried to take [the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov] from Ukraine, and so this is just another example of how Russia is just incrementally trying to undermine Ukraine\u2019s territorial sovereignty,\u201d Marzluff said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice Adm. Gene Black, who commands 6th Fleet, reiterated the importance of making Ukraine\u2019s Navy interoperable with NATO in an interview with Defense News aboard U.S. Navy destroyer Ross during the Sea Breeze exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the highest level, it\u2019s helping them assert their sovereignty and it supports their territorial integrity. At the sort of operational Navy level, we want them to be able to have full awareness of what\u2019s going on in their seas, and then the ability to influence it and the ability to interact with or interoperate with partners as necessary into the future. And I think we\u2019re on an outstanding trajectory with their plan, with their procurements and with their willingness to work so closely with us,\u201d Black said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training Ukraine<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Ukraine receives new gear, its training needs are twofold: learning how to use the ships, sensors and weapons; and learning how to plan and execute maritime operations in line with NATO standards and best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the gear side, the U.S. Coast Guard has been training Ukrainian sailors in Baltimore, Maryland, to operate and maintain the Island-class patrol boats<\/a>. Marzluff said the Coast Guard finished training the next three crews for the next three ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n