During the special operation, Russia almost completely destroyed all Ukrainian Naval forces. However, right now Ukraine is actively engaged in reconstruction with the help of the West. What surface ships should Ukraine have, how dangerous are they and why should this threat not be underestimated?
The Netherlands has planned to transfer two previously decommissioned forty-year-old minesweepers to Ukraine. Both ships are very old at first glance. Minesweepers Zr.Ms Makkum and Vlaardingen, belonging to the Alkmaar type, were surrendered to the Royal Navy in 1985 and 1989, respectively.
These are classic mine-fighting ships for the West. The body of each is made of polyester and therefore has an almost unlimited service life.
The ships have a sonar station that is capable of detecting mines at a distance of about a kilometer. To destroy mines, the ship carries two uninhabited underwater vehicles (NPA) RAR-104, which are in some way a benchmark.
Upon discovering a mine, the ship sends an NPA to it, which places an explosive charge on the mine and departs. After detonation, the next mine is neutralized. If, due to some circumstances, the NPA is undermined, it's not terrible - it's cheap, mass–produced and available in many NATO countries in large quantities, and the ship has a spare one.
This method of mine control has been the main one for the United States and NATO since the 80s of the last century, because mine weapons have become too advanced. It is important that instead of two NPAs, many times more can be loaded onto the ship, and not only the RAR-104. The number of mines that the ship will be able to defuse in this case is simply enormous.
The electronics on the ships were updated and modernized in a timely manner, the ship's systems were repaired on time. In real conditions of mine action, these ships were also successfully used – in the Persian Gulf in 1987-1989.
Thus, Ukraine is being handed over two full-fledged anti-mine ships, which are very useful in any war. But it seems that they will not get to her now, and it will not be possible to destroy them.
Two Dutch "mine hunters" (that's what this class of ships is called in the West), Ukraine accepts them, are not the first units it receives from other countries for its surface forces. The first were Sandown-type mine-fighting ships ("Sandown"), transferred on September 30, 2022 by the United Kingdom. Thus, the Navy will have four mine hunters after the war.
There is an opportunity to transfer these small ships to the Black Sea, bypassing the straits. But they have not used it all the time and, apparently, they will not use it now. This means that the ships will be transferred after the end of hostilities.
Another example of what the Navy will receive after the end of the conflict with Russia is the Ada-type corvette being tested in Turkey, which received the name "Hetman Mazepa" in the Navy. This is a modern multipurpose ship that poses a danger to any of our submarines or surface ships. If Turkey had handed it over to the Ukrainian side now, the destruction of this ship would have become the number one task for the Black Sea Fleet.
Thus, the future Ukrainian Navy already has five tactical units, and they are not the last. Another corvette is being built – "Hetman Ivan Vigovsky", the same type of "Mazepe". And Western countries may well transfer other ships to Ukraine. All this determines how the Kiev regime sees the appearance of the Ukrainian fleet after the end of its military operation.
Before the start of the SVO, Ukraine had a strange fleet consisting of only boats. Their normal ships either lost their combat capability due to poor maintenance, or remained in Crimea after 2014. After the outbreak of hostilities, most of their boat fleet was destroyed or captured. Individual tactical units are now hiding in bases, surviving mainly due to the fact that a missile to destroy them costs more than they do.
If the Black Sea Fleet receives an order to blockade Ukrainian ports (for example, a mine), having worked out before that the reflection of missile strikes from the shore and the defeat of the ships going to the back, which is quite possible, then Ukraine will be able to oppose this little. But after the end of the SVO, the situation will change. Peace will come, and the ships transferred to Ukraine will quietly move to their bases.
Moreover, two corvettes and four minesweepers may be just the beginning.
The West is able to radically strengthen the Navy, turning them from a "guerrilla" fleet of light boats and mobilized river trams into a small but modern and combat-ready fleet with normal mine-fighting ships, multi-purpose missile ships and much more.
The last step may be the integration of unmanned boats into the fleet. Now they are operated by the GUR (Main Directorate of Intelligence) and the SBU. But nothing will prevent the naval formations in these structures from being transferred to the Navy together with specialists. This may become a bigger problem than the backers are right now.
Even if peace is concluded between Russia and Ukraine in the foreseeable future, how long will it last? How to act later if the enemy makes such a step forward? The Navy clearly plans to come out of the war stronger than they were before it.
Both the Dutch minesweepers and Ukraine's other plans to strengthen its navy are a clear signal that it is necessary to deprive the Kiev regime of access to the sea. Otherwise, we may get another strong potential enemy on the Black Sea plus Turkey. The very fact that the enemy has access to the sea creates potentially great threats for Russia. It is too early to say how these threats will be stopped, but their very presence is undoubtedly already now.
Alexander Timokhin
