Ukrainian sailors are being trained onboard a Royal Navy Sandown Class Minehunter off the coast of Scotland.
While the training has been common knowledge in defence circles, many (myself included) were asked not to promote it due to security concerns. As of this morning, however, the news has been made public.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister has this week met soldiers and sailors training in the UK during a visit to see first-hand Britain’s ongoing support for his country. Volodymyr Havrylov met with UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey to discuss what further support is required to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ministers Havrylov and Heappey also spoke with trainees and the Royal Navy instructors, observing them practising key skills at sea, such as weapon drills and damage control, whilst learning to operate the machinery on the vessels. Ukrainian sailors are being trained by the Royal Navy to operate Sandown Class Minehunter vessels, ahead of the sale of two such vessels in a deal agreed last year under the Ukrainian Naval Capabilities Enhancement Programme (UNCEP).
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said:
“The intensity with which the Ukrainian soldiers and sailors are training is something to behold. They work with the focus of troops who know they’ll be fighting in a war in just a few short weeks’ time. Delivering training that matches that intensity and focus is not straightforward. The Royal Navy and the British Army are working long hours and drawing on all their operational experience to make sure their new Ukrainian friends are sent into combat with the best chance of victory.”
Deputy Defence Minister Volodymyr Havrylov said:
“I saw the brotherhood of Ukrainian and British soldiers working together to achieve a common goal – strengthening the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian army. We are very grateful to the government and people of the United Kingdom for their invaluable contribution to Ukraine’s success in repelling the Russian aggressors.”
The Royal Navy is training Ukrainian sailors to operate the vessel after two of the class, HMS Blyth and HMS Ramsey, were sold to Ukraine prior to the invasion.
@HMSGrimsby inbound to Rosyth this morning. Interesting to see that her pennant numbers have been removed. #royalnavy #scotland #river #forth #Scotland #rosyth pic.twitter.com/ag5nbqbqPP
— Brian_D (@Brian_D2016) July 1, 2022
The visit of Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister came in the same week as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed plans to supply scores of artillery guns, and hundreds of drones and anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
I have also been told by a source that there are over 100 Ukrainian sailors staying at Rosyth to take part in the training, more on this as details emerge.
Imagery belongs to Brian Donovan who has allowed me to reproduce his photos here.
Great to see the Royal Navy sharing it’s skills with the Ukrainian sailors, let’s hope they have a plan to keep them safe whilst they operate in contested waters.
… and one for getting the vessels there safely.
Great to see. When the orcs are kicked out Ukraine will need some kind of navy
Maybe there’s an opportunity for T31/A140 here or 1-2 of the older T23s given gratis after a bit of an upgrade.
Looks like they might be needed sooner rather than later with regard to the newly Turkish brokered grain export agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Hmmm…yeah, but color me cynical…does anyone else sense a logic flaw in a mine removal op in the vicinity of the port of Odesa? Not that there is the slightest doubt in the absolute trustworthiness of Mad Vlad and his slobbering band of marauding Orcs…🤔😳
Well it would give the Ukrainians some practice with the Western anti-ship missiles they’ve been given. Given they were able to sink the pride of the Black Sea fleet with their domestic anti-ship missile, I wouldn’t rate the survival chances of any Russian ship coming in range.
Russia’s Black Sea fleet has departed its home port mostly and has missed its celebration day that is normally held. I suppose losing your flagship is a bit of an embarrassment. Kearson is probably going to be the start of the counter attack before the end of summer. If it goes well and Ukraine can get it back next stop could be Crimea. I don’t think that is the greatest move but must be tempting. Better to head to the dam above kearson and then to the big nuclear plant coming from 2 sides. It’s really just the weapons Ukraine… Read more »
😳😳😳Oh my goodness. Of course, you are quite right! Removing mines now would be premature and dangerous, especially given that the grain treaty was immediately undermined by rockets hitting the Port of Odessa.
I would have thought Latvia could make a huge contribution to this as many are tri lingual: LV, Rus, Eng and I believe have had the same class gifted to them.
NATO needs to send a fleet to secure the Black Sea. What will Vlad do? Not much he can do. He knows we will destroy him in a week.