Defense News – The Ukrainian Navy has accepted delivery of the first Bayraktar TB2 drone from Turkish defense company Baykar, according to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry.

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – New details on the Ukrainian navy’s future missile boats emerged from an interview given by British military attaché in Ukraine to the local news paper The Day.

Naval News – The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has ordered new Turkish-made corvettes and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) from Turkey. They are being procured for the Ukrainian Navy to enhance security in the Black and Azov Sea regions.

Defense News – Britain is stepping up its military support in Ukraine with an announcement that the U.K. will lead a multinational maritime initiative to train the Ukrainian navy.

– Defense News – Following a December 2018 incident at the mouth of the Sea of Azov between Russia and Ukrainian forces, the United States has accelerated its assistance to Ukraine’s maritime forces.

– Marine Link – The U.S. State Department approved the possible sale to Ukraine of up to 16 patrol boats and related equipment.

Thanks to Alain!

– BMPD – Ukrainian sources reported that on April 2, 2020, the Alibey State Testing Ground of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Odessa region tested the R-360 anti-ship missile of the developed Ukrainian anti-ship missile complex RK-360MTs Neptune with an active homing radar mounted on the rocket for the first time.

(Thanks to Alain)

– USNI News – Two former Coast Guard Island-class cutters arrived in Odessa, Ukraine, on Monday, as part of a program to beef up Ukraine’s navy with retired U.S. vessels.

– Breaking Defense – As tensions rise between Russia and Ukraine on the Black Sea, the US is upgrading several Ukrainian naval bases to give American and NATO warships the ability to dock just miles from Russia-controlled Crimea.

– USNI News – Russian maritime forces have fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels that were attempting to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov.More than 20 Ukrainian sailors were also detained by Russians – several of them reportedly suffering injuries – after open hostilities erupted on Nov. 25 in the Kerch Strait, which separates Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula from mainland Russia.

– National Interest – This Russia conflict scenario would make operations in Syria look like a round of croquet.

– CIMSEC – Ukraine today, given the need of countering threats from the sea, is in a situation where the need for U.S. anti-ship missiles is much more important than obtaining Javelin ATGMs.

– Radio Free Europe – The Sea of Azov, a rich fishing ground in Soviet times that has been of great strategic importance to independent Ukraine, has emerged after months of growing friction as the latest flash point in the four-year conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.

– CIMSEC – The following two-part series will analyze the maritime dimension of competition between Ukraine and Russia in the Sea of Azov. Part 1 analyzed strategic interests, developments, and geography in the Sea of Azov along with probable Russian avenues of aggression. Part 2 will devise potential asymmetric naval capabilities and strategies for the Ukrainian Navy to employ.

– US Naval War College Review – This article examines the Ukrainian governments attempts to rebuild the Ukrainian navy and argues that, while Ukraine faces political, conceptual, and financial challenges in reviving its maritime power, it has made some modest progress toward building a “mosquito fleet.” This fleet has been bolstered by the addition of some small, new ships and the increasing professionalization of Ukraine’s naval personnel, in particular its marines. This progress suggests that Ukraine can go in a radically different direction as it redevelops its navy: toward coastal defense.

– CIMSEC – The following two-part series will analyze the maritime dimension of competition between Ukraine and Russia in the Sea of Azov. Part 1 analyzes strategic interests, developments, and geography in the Sea of Azov along with probably Russian avenues of aggression.

– USNI News – Navy Seabees are building a maritime operations center on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, for use during annual U.S. and Ukrainian military exercises and to assist allied maritime operations.

– USNI News – Three NATO guided missile warships are set to exercise with Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea later this month.

– USNI News – The U.S. and Ukraine formally kicked off almost two weeks of naval exercises on Monday in and around the Black Sea as part of the latest iteration of Sea Breeze.

– USNI News – Ukraine has recovered 28 ships from the Russian government following the Russian occupation of Crimea in March, according to information from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

– AP – Ukraine’s navy is in Odessa’s harbor, though it can be hard to spot. It’s tucked behind a collection of storage tanks and overshadowed by immense cargo vessels docked nearby. There are a couple dozen boats, few much larger than a decent-sized yacht and many in desperate need of repair. The government is begging the public to help pay their bills. This is what’s left of Ukraine’s fleet since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula two months ago, taking with it the navy’s key base and most of its ships.

– USNI News – The flagship of the Ukrainian sea service now sits parked in a commercial port in the picturesque seaside town of Odessa, more known for its nightclubs than its military infrastructure. Next to it floats a handful of tiny coastal boats sporting Ukraine’s colors, blue and yellow. This is all that’s left of Ukraine’s navy.

– BBC – The Slavutych is one of the two Ukrainian warships blockaded in the port of Sevastopol. As loaves of bread were being ferried aboard this morning, we managed to to get a launch to take us access – the first camera allowed on this ship since the standoff began a week ago.

– RIA Novosti – The corvette Ternopol of the Ukrainian Navy has sailed off from the Black Sea port of Sevastopol to join the NATO’s Active Endeavour mission in the Mediterranean