Ukrainian Navy Vice Admiral: Kyiv could not find funds for the planned construction of warships
Vice Admiral of the Ukrainian Navy, Ihor Voronchenko, stated that the construction of corvette-type warships, part of the “Vladimir the Great” series claimed by Ukrainian authorities in 2017, has been postponed due to a lack of funds, Strana.ua reports. According to Voronchenko, the country’s budget lacks the 1.361 billion hryvnia ($51 million) needed to carry out construction.
Voronchenko made this statement during a general meeting of the UkrSudProm (the Association of Shipbuilders of Ukraine), which took place at the end of May in Mykolaiv. Voronchenko’s speech was broadcast by the local media-portal, Inshe.TV.
“I’m stating the fact: all statesmen seem to sign regulations but they count money after they’ve signed them,” Voronchenko stated. “Literally two weeks from now, I will send a letter to announce there are no appropriate funds in the state.”
Voronchenko specified that he has already addressed the President of the country, the Minister of Defense, and the Chief of Staff. The government are now considering trying to find funds in the second half of this year.
“1.361 billion hryvnia ($51 million) should be given for the fleet, because if we don’t invest the appropriate financial resources, we will reach the point of no return,” Voronchenko stated. “And it is about workplaces, the nine-thousand labor force; it is about 200 enterprises and our foreign partners who are waiting for the green light to continue funding.”
In November 2017, the Government of Ukraine adopted a decision to resume funding of the corvette-type ship as part of the “58250” project. These vessels are multirole combat ships developed by the Mykolaiv State Enterprise, the “Research and Design Center for Shipbuilding,” designed specifically for the needs of the Ukrainian Naval Forces. The project’s development was completed in 2008, and the construction of the first ship started in May 2011. Its launching was initially planned to take place in 2012.
The project’s plan entailed building ten to twelve ships by 2026. Since the beginning of the project, the time frames for construction completion have been repeatedly postponed. In 2017, the project expressed intention to put the first ship into service by 2022.