The ships arrived from Scotland to British Portsmouth, where their crew will be trained and prepared to participate in the Sea Breeze 24 exercise.
“Chernigov” was handed over to Ukraine by Britain. and "Cherkasy"
Both ships will now be relocated to Portsmouth, where they will prepare to participate in Exercise Sea Breeze 24, a joint countermeasures exercise between the Royal Navy, the US Navy and the Ukrainian Navy. The exercise will improve the ability of the Ukrainian fleet to operate alongside NATO countries, increase the maneuverability of NATO navies and “demonstrate the UK and Allies' shared commitment to security and stability.”
Transfer of ships, formerly known as Shoreham and Grimsbybegan last year – both participated in Exercises Joint Warrior 23 and Exercise Sea Breeze 23 in UK waters. Their transfer earlier this year was made possible thanks to a buyer's credit line guarantee provided by the UK Export Credit Agency.
In Portsmouth, the ships will prepare for exercises in British waters with the Royal Navy of the United States of America. In the future, the acquired experience will be useful for Ukraine when interacting with partner countries according to NATO standards.
Currently ships cannot enter the Black Sea due to the terms of the Montreux Convention, which restricts passage military ships through the Bosphorus during the war.
“However, they will provide a critical capability for Ukraine in its future defense of its coastline, as the UK seeks to support the long-term capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy, while at the same time they seek to protect commercial shipping by identifying and clearing sea mines,” the General Staff noted.
It also added that the transfer of the ships to the Ukrainian Navy coincides with the launch of the Sea Capability Coalition, led by the UK together with Norway, to provide assistance to the Ukrainian Navy, including training, equipment and infrastructure to strengthen security in the Black Sea.< /p>
The ship “Cherkassy” Ukrainian Navy
Over the past 18 months, the crews of the ships have undergone a number of exercises and training with Royal Navy instructors, and participated in the multinational exercises Joint Warrior 23-II and Exercise Sea Breeze 2023.
The ships “Chernigov” and ” Cherkasy”
It is indicated that Ukraine has sunk or disabled about a third of the Russian Black Sea fleet since the start of the conflict through a series of precision missile strikes and the innovative use of naval unmanned vehicles “Thanks to British support, Ukraine's activity in the Black Sea has meant, that, despite the ongoing Russian attacks on the Odessa region, Ukraine almost certainly exported more grain through its seaports in the first months of 2024 than at any time since the beginning of the war,” the General Staff noted.
And they reminded that, as one of Ukraine's largest military donors, “the UK has demonstrated its commitment to significant military assistance, providing more than £7 billion in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to date.”