Ukraine's NATO allies are boosting Kyiv's scant naval forces, building up Ukraine's ability to fend off Russian power in the Black Sea as Ukraine struggles to push back Moscow's forces on land.
On Monday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it would receive two mine-clearing vessels, 23 raiding craft and 20 Viking amphibious vehicles from the UK and Norway, bolstering the Ukrainian Navy's assets.
London and Oslo, heading up a new Maritime Capability Coalition, would help "to strengthen Ukraine's ability to operate at sea," and set the tone for Kyiv's future integration into NATO, the British Defense Ministry said.
"This will be long term to help Ukraine transform its navy, making it more compatible with Western allies, more interoperable with NATO, and bolstering security in the Black Sea," the UK government added.
The Vikings are fully-amphibious armored all-terrain vehicles, and the Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels are specially-designed ships intended to take out marine mines.
Ukraine's navy is a small force, but is supplemented by Kyiv's waterborne drone fleet that frequently attacks Russian assets in the Black Sea, along with missile strikes on Russian vessels and key bases. The waters are also used by Moscow to launch missile attacks on Ukraine's southern coastline, including the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
The waters around Ukraine's coastline are heavily mined, posing a threat to all kinds of vessels attempting to make their way through the waters around Ukraine and the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula. Russia blockaded Ukraine's ports after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting global anxieties over grain exports leaving the war-torn country.
The mine-hunting ships "will deliver vital capability to Ukraine which will help save lives at sea and open up vital export routes," said British Defense Secretary, Grant Shapps.
"Ukraine won in the Black Sea," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. "We've resumed our maritime trade, notably food exports, protecting dozens of nations in Africa and Asia from hunger and chaos. In 2024, Ukraine will clear more trade routes," he added.
The commander of Ukraine's naval forces, Oleksiy Neizhpapa, told Ukrainian media on Monday that the coalition was intended to last until 2035, and that the two mine-clearing ships were ready for the Ukrainian navy to use.
"Our goal is to contribute to building a lasting Ukrainian naval capability," said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
But questions remain over just how the British mine-hunting vessels will make their way from the UK to Ukraine.
NATO member Turkey controls access to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus, but has walked a careful line with Moscow, maintaining economic ties with the Kremlin while negotiating for the flow of grain from Ukraine out into the wider world.
Ankara exerts power over which vessels can pass into the Black Sea under an agreement known as the Montreux Convention, which limits the passage of warships involved in a conflict through the Turkish Straits, the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
