Contents tagged with Sea of Azov

  • Klimkin: Ukrainian ships are getting ready to pass through Kerch Strait

    Ukraine is planning a new passage of ships through the Kerch Strait and it is taking certain measures and getting ready for the passage together with international partners. The Ukrainian Navy will likely be able to “surprise Russia”, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said in an interview with Censor.net. 

    According to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, the presence of foreign observers onboard the ships is hardly possible but there will be international monitoring. In particular, the …

  • Klimkin: Ukraine is ready to terminate the Sea of Azov agreement with Russia

    Foreign Minister, Pavlo Klimkin, announced that in the foreseeable future, Ukraine is preparing to terminate the agreement with Russia on the Sea of Azov. 

    "In the foreseeable future, we will do it. After the hearings, our legal position will be determined, and the international arbitration issues will be resolved," he said. At the same time, he added that if Kyiv had terminated the agreement earlier, “Russia would have used it to weaken the legal position” of the Ukrainian side. 

    The …

  • Ukraine to send two landing ships to the Sea of Azov

    During a press briefing, the deputy chief of the Department of Defense Planning of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vyacheslav Demyanenko announced that in 2019 an artillery boat and two landing ships would be added to the six small armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian naval forces in the Sea of Azov.

    “The Navy has received six small armored artillery boats. In the current year it is planned to include one more artillery boat and two Kentavr landing ships. The development …

  • Ukraine strengthens control over the Black Sea

    On Monday, February 11th, the State Border Service reported that the Ukrainian Marine Guard strengthened control over the government border on the Black Sea. 

    Over the course of the week, the naval guard ships accompanied foreign vessels from the entrance of the territorial waters of Ukraine to the ports of destination. 

    “This practice allows strengthening measures to prevent attempts at an illegal approach to the small vessels and other illegal actions in the territorial waters of Ukraine,” …

  • Ukraine conducts military exercises in the Sea of Azov

    Ukrainian Coast Guards from the Joint Forces Operation and other Joint Forces units conducted military exercises in the Sea of Azov, reported Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine’s press center.

    Using Ukrainian Navy vessels, the units pursued an “intruder” vessel that carried out dangerous maneuvers and tried to approach the coast to land “a subversive group”.

    During the training maneuvers, Maritime Security and the Ukrainian Navy, supported by coastal and airborne artillery, blocked the …

  • Ukraine negotiates purchase of 22 patrol ships from France

    The head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine or SBGS, Petro Tsyhykal announced in an interview with 5 Channel TV that Ukraine has begun negotiations with France on the purchase of 22 patrol ships for the SBGS. 

    “We are working on possible options for strengthening our naval units in the Sea of Azov. We have already repaired several of our ships and boats, including the [Ukrainian Command Ship] Donbas. Last year, UMC-1000 motorboats with improved running characteristics were put into …

  • Ukrainian border guards built observation towers on the Azov Sea coast

    The State Border Guard Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine prepared a set of measures aimed at strengthening military positions in the Black and Azov Seas. The head of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service, Petro Tsyhykal, told the Ukrainian Channel 5  that the border guards had already erected five observation towers on the coast of the Sea of Azov, which will soon be equipped with the necessary means of audiovisual control.

    “Now five towers have already been built on …

  • Russian landing ship conducts combat shooting drills in the Black Sea

    The crew of the large landing ship Caesar Kunikov of the Russian Black Sea Fleet carried out an artillery firing at the coastal, sea and air targets in one of the Black Sea training ranges, reports "Krym.Realii" news site with reference to the Russian Black Sea Fleet press service. 

    It is noted that the shooting took place in accordance with the combat training plan. 

    “When practicing combat actions to support naval forces during a landing on the coast, the ship crew performed firing from an …

  • Ukraine calls on PACE to adopt ‘Azov sanctions package’ against Russia

    Ukraine calls on European partners to increase pressure on Russia and adopt the "Azov sanctions package" for seizing Ukrainian sailors in the Kerch Strait, said Iryna Herashchenko, the First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada during a speech at the PACE.

    “The Russian Federation has violated at least five articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. We urge our European partners to introduce new sanctions, namely the “Azov sanctions package” against the Russian Federation and the …

  • Ukrainian Navy Commander: Ratio of forces in the Sea of Azov is not in favor of Ukraine

    At the moment, Ukraine has two boats and two ships in the Sea of Azov, while the Russian Federation has deployed up to 40 efficient ships and boats into the region, Ihor Voronchenko, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, said in an interview with DW.

    Commenting on the ratio of Ukrainian and Russian forces in the Sea of Azov, he acknowledged that this situation is not in favor of Ukraine.

    “Unfortunately, the situation is not in favor of Ukraine both in terms of quality and quantity. The …