Britain to Provide Warships to Ukraine – KyivPost

Ukrainian Ambassador to London, Vadym Prystaiko, reported that Ukraine would receive several warships from the UK.

Since the beginning of the war, Britain has provided enormous political and military assistance in the war against Russian aggression. According to Downing Street, a total of £2.3bn in military aid has been pledged. This is mainly for the supply of air defense systems, drones, and electronic warfare equipment.

Responding to this latest promise of help from the U.K. in the form of warships, Ambassador Prystaiko noted that Ukrainians are already being trained on one of the ships. He also stressed that, at the moment, Ukraine needs anti-mine ships.

“Two is the starting number we are working with right now. These are warships that are in service with Her Majesty’s naval forces,” he stated

According to the Ambassador, these ships will be modernized and equipped for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Fleet Shrank With the Annexation of Crimea

In 2014, after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the national fleet lost more than 80% of its assets and capabilities, as reported by the Ukrainian Navy. Many Ukrainian ships remained in Crimea, and some military personnel went over to the Russian side.

For several years, Ukraine’s Naval Forces have needed restoration and development. However, the country’s relatively small fleet has repeatedly repelled the Russian fleet on the Black Sea.

After the annexation of Crimea, the Ukrainian Navy lost its main base in Sevastopol. In 2018, the fighting composition of the Ukrainian fleet included only 16 ships.

The Russian fleet is more than three times larger and includes about 50 warships. At the moment, the Russian Federation’s Black Sea fleet, reinforced by ships from their Baltic and Northern fleets stands against Ukraine’s Naval Armed Forces which do not include a single large ship.

The provision of warships to Ukraine will help to ensure the safe export of grain, which has just begun today – the first ship left the Ukrainian port of Odesa.

The cargo ship will head across the Black Sea to Lebanon, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Twitter.