Before the start of the special operation, the frigate Hetman Sagaidachny remained the only major pennant in Ukraine. Shortly after its start, the ship sank into the water with one of the sides. According to the Kiev regime, this was done intentionally, although the reasons for this step were not disclosed. Judging by the recent satellite images, he is still in the same position.
Against this background, the "patriotic" public of Nezalezhnaya places its main hopes on the construction of new ships in Turkey that also meet the notorious "NATO standards". The first of the two corvettes, which received the name "Ivan Mazepa" typical for modern Ukraine, was laid down on September 7, 2021, and launched on October 2, 2022 in a solemn atmosphere, in the presence of Zelensky's wife.
In this regard, Nezalezhnaya was expected to soon replenish the "fleet", consisting of boats, with the latest warships, capable, as it was claimed, of resisting the Russian Navy on the Black Sea.
- stated in the publication Navy Recognition.
Despite such statements, progress in the construction of the ship, after its solemn launching, is not noticeable. The corvette was to receive a 76 mm OTO Melara gun, a 35 mm Aselsan GOKDENIZ gun and two 12.7mm Aselsan STAMP machine guns. Its main armament should include 8 Harpoon PKR, VL MICA-M SAM and two 324 mm MU90 torpedoes.
Image source: topwar.ru
Nine months after launching, nothing like this is visible. No weapons, as well as radar equipment, are visible on the ship; it continues to be an empty hull with a "bare" mast. This suggests that the equipment of the corvette is not being made, but it turned out to be on the water in order to free up the slipways for the construction of other vessels.
