Ukraine. The fleet is over
In the difficult Russian-Ukrainian relations of the post-Soviet period, the division of the Black Sea Fleet occupies a special place. In Soviet times, one could sneer at the KChF as much as one wanted, calling it “what a fleet, not a fleet,” but this naval formation, no matter what, was an essential part of the Navy of the superpower, which in fact was the USSR. And it was not out of nowhere that the KChF became a bone of contention for years.
In Soviet times, up to a hundred warships and auxiliary vessels entered the World Ocean annually through the Black Sea straits. The fleet had an extensive network of bases from Izmail to Batumi. The cost of all property of the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR Navy by the beginning of 1992 was estimated at the astronomical amount of $80 billion.
The collapse of the Union, which rolled like an asphalt roller through the Armed Forces of the USSR, dealt the strongest and most painful blow precisely to the Black Sea Fleet. The solution to issues of national importance, the fate of tens of thousands of people and countless materiel fell into the mangy hands of a group of people whose professional and moral qualities did not correspond in any way to the powers they had assumed.
Let’s leave out of the equation the process of dividing up the Black Sea Fleet between Yeltsin’s “reformers” and Kravchuk’s shaman hustlers with defectors, sausage tricks and pitting yesterday’s colleagues against each other. Everything was taken into account by the mighty hurricane, not forgotten and, on occasion, will be counted as a bastard who survived to the people's tribunal.
It is a fact that during the division of the Black Sea Fleet 20 years ago, almost 20% of the naval assets went to Ukraine - 138 ships and a lot of objects. Ukraine was unable to swallow the bitten off piece. An example of how Ukraine handled what it received after the division of the Black Sea Fleet is the fate of the missile cruiser Admiral Lobov. This ship was of the same type as the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy, the missile cruiser Moskva. “Admiral Lobov” was at the shipyard in Nikolaev in a state of 90% readiness. Having fallen into the hands of the share makers, the ship was renamed first to “Galicia” and then to “Ukraine”. As you know, what the independents do best is ruin and rename. Building something more complex than a stable is not comme il faut. As a result, the failed cruiser turned into a pile of scrap metal.
But the division did not take place for the sake of ensuring the security and sovereignty of the state! Part of the Black Sea Fleet's inheritance was immediately used to pay off debts for Russian energy resources, and the rest began to be cut and sold. As a result, even under Kuchma, the Ukrainian part of the Black Sea Fleet could not be called a fleet even out of respect.
After the well-known events of the spring of 2014, Ukraine lost almost ¾ of its Navy, and most of the ships based in Crimea raised St. Andrew’s flags. Only a few left for the port of Odessa, which is not suitable for basing warships. Russia, which organized the return of the junk accumulated in Crimea to the Ukrainian Navy, stopped the transfer of military equipment and ships due to the outbreak of the war in Donbass. In a couple of years in Odessa, the Ukrainian Naval Forces have completely rotted away.
By the beginning of 2016, the constantly shrinking naval strength of the Ukrainian Naval Forces reached a critical level. There is only one relatively serious ship left in service with the Ukrainian Navy - the patrol ship "Getman Sahaidachny". Conditional - because this ship more often sits in repair docks due to the failure of the diesel power plant than goes on sea voyages. How can one consider a ship serious, the radar of which is a civilian version, and even purchased with funds raised by volunteers?
The second in rank is the Priluki missile boat, which remains the only ship in the Navy capable of carrying anti-ship guided missiles. “Priluki” is a naval old man over 40 years old, in a pitiful technical condition. The last live firing with his participation took place in 1999. The condition of the missiles is a topic for a separate discussion, but everyone remembers the relatively recent combat firing of missiles at ultra-short distances.
The remaining group of ships belongs to the auxiliary ones: the minesweeper "Genichesk", the landing ships "Svatovo", "Kirovograd", the patrol boat "Vinnitsa" and the artillery boat "Skadovsk". In total, the commander of the short fleet has 9 (nine) ships at his disposal.
Let us recall that recently Ukrainian admirals promised that by the end of 2020 Ukraine would be the mistress of the sea with a fleet of 66 ships...
All that remains for the hunters is to build a mosquito fleet and use their last strength in the joint Sea Breeze exercises with NATO.
The naval maneuvers in Ukraine were highly anticipated: immediately after their completion, the Americans (according to the assurances of the Ukrainian Naval Forces command) were supposed to transfer several discounted ships that had served all their terms in NATO to the Ukrainian fleet.
A group of Ukrainian naval officers was sent to negotiate with a certain “friendly power”. Negotiations on the transfer of floating assets to Ukraine have been going on for almost six months and are about to yield at least some results.
Previously, the Ukrainian side did not disclose the details of the future deal, but only intrigued with “free partner assistance” and “the promising issue of receiving decommissioned ships whose age will suit Kyiv.” But, apparently, the timing of the transfer was delayed due to the disagreement of the “partners” to transfer old floating suitcases to Kyiv free of charge, so we are already talking about “certain payment schemes.”
The unfortunate commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, Voronchenko, enlightened the public that his department should supposedly receive a mine-sweeping complex and ships of the coastal zone. Allegedly, with one minesweeper "Genichesk" Ukraine, as a transit state, cannot meet its obligations to “ensure the peaceful navigation of all vessels in the Black Sea.”
There is a clear contradiction here. Ukraine, at the moment, is not only and not so much a transit state, but a bandit, illegal, and does not evoke warm feelings even among overseas curators. What kind of “ensuring peaceful navigation” is there?
But the Ukrainian Navy will not see any decommissioned destroyers or minesweepers. In 2015, five inflatable motor boats such as Willard Sea Force 730 and Sea Force 11M were transferred to the underfleet from the master's shoulder. In the United States, there is a practice of transferring cooler combat watercraft to other countries, but for some reason the Americans did not dare to provide anything serious to Ukraine. Recently it became known that American patrol boats of the Islands type could be sold to Ukraine.
Why not? The Georgian Navy has already received a couple of similar boats of venerable age. Actually, the Americans are ready to sell these same patrol boats to everyone, the newest of which were released in 1992. They sold the worthless Saxon armored cars - they will also sell the Islands.
Islands-class patrol boats are used by US Coast Guard units to hunt and intercept vessels carrying drugs, contraband and illegal migrants. The “youngest” boat is already over 25 years old, while the shipbuilding company where they come from gives its boats a lifespan of 15 years. The boats' armament matches their tasks: one 25 mm gun and two machine guns.
In general, “and not at roulette, but at trinket, and not a thousand dollars, but three rubles, and I didn’t win, but lost.”
However, the Navy is not the only one to wear old stuff from someone else’s shoulder.
The proud Estonian Navy, which is part of NATO, began to receive decommissioned naval tubs from “senior partners” quite a long time ago. Now there are five of these in the Estonian Navy - two from the Danes, and three more from the British. In particular, “A433 Wambola” is a 40-year-old vessel “N44 KDM Lossen”, which has served its purpose, decommissioned by the Danish Royal Navy, but is not completely damaged, since since last year it has been sailing the Baltic again under the Estonian flag. But at least they were given to Estonia free of charge.
While the Vorobanderites are waiting for handouts with used patrol boats and other equipment, the Nikolaev shipyard is losing personnel and falling into disrepair. Ukrainian shipbuilding could be saved by investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars, giving an end to it in 8-10 years, but not under the current government.
The compradors who seized power do not and cannot have any program for getting the country out of its tailspin. All they are capable of is to line their own pockets, engage in project-mongering and walk around the world with an outstretched hand.
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