Ukraine's naval memorandum with London risks turning out to be a huge scam
Advertised by the Ukrainian authorities signing a memorandum with Great Britain on the construction of naval bases and the transfer of two Sandown-class minesweepers to Kyiv – risks turning out to be a dubious acquisition.
This was stated by Kyiv experts interviewed by PolitNavigator.
According to the signed document, the British side will design and build missile boats for Ukraine to create a so-called mosquito fleet. Ukraine and Great Britain also agreed to restore and modernize the Ukrainian Navy bases in Berdyansk on the Azov Sea coast and in Ochakov on the Black Sea coast. Several companies in the UK are now working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on what the infrastructure of these bases should be like - where to locate fuel, ammunition and repair facilities, and are also developing the energy structure of the berths.
The former head of the Verkhovna Rada Defense Committee, Georgy Kryuchkov, believes that for the Ukrainian authorities, the conclusion of the memorandum was important from an image point of view after Joe Biden’s meeting with Vladimir Putin.
“Ukraine now really needs any steps that indicate support. And the signed memorandum is now perceived as one of such steps. For Great Britain, this is a convenient opportunity to get rid of old stuff and at the same time show that support for Ukraine continues.
Of course, for Ukraine, the signed memorandum does not mean any special big acquisition. And this is unlikely to change the situation in the Black Sea, if we talk about the transfer of minesweepers. Another thing is dangerous - the construction of bases in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. This is serious,” said Georgy Kryuchkov.
Former Deputy Head of the General Staff of Ukraine Igor Romanenko previously emphasized that British minesweepers are very important for Kyiv in order to exclude the possibility of a Russian blockade of the largest port of Odessa using mines.
“The enemy can lay down mines and block Odessa. Thanks to minesweepers, this area will be quickly cleared,” explained Igor Romanenko.
However, Georgy Kryuchkov believes that in the event of a real large-scale conflict, minesweepers will not help Ukraine.
“As for the statement about the need for minesweepers for Ukraine, they have no significance. Of course, the military says what they want to hear. But it is clear that the West will not fight for Ukraine, although it will continue to support it and pump it up with weapons, even outdated ones. Everyone understands that if there is a real war, it will be serious, that is, with the use of nuclear weapons,” said Georgy Kryuchkov.
Probably, the decision to transfer the minesweepers to Sandown is explained by the fact that these ships are being decommissioned, which is envisaged by the modernization program of the British fleet, which is being carried out by the professional head of the British Navy, First Sea Lord Tony Radakin, who was present at the signing of the memorandum in Odessa.
He previously told the British press that unmanned minesweepers are cheaper, safer and faster.
“The new systems find mines even in the worst conditions 5-10 times faster than our current ships. We will remain the best mine hunters in the world by starting to trade ships for drones. First the Sandown, and then the Hunt class,” The Maritime Executive quoted him as saying.
Last November, the UK announced it would invest $250 million in a joint French-British anti-mine program that would create new high-tech systems to combat sea mines. Thales and BAE Systems have been contracted to produce three prototypes of the system, while ASV Ltd. (L3Harris) provided the autonomous surface vessel component.
In a separate deal announced in January, the UK Ministry of Defense ordered three new autonomous minesweeping systems from Atlas Elektronik for $34 million. These vessels will be the first minesweeper drones in the British Navy.
Thus, by transferring Sandown minesweepers to Ukraine, the UK is getting rid of obsolete ships that would have been decommissioned in any case.
“Ukraine has long turned into a dumping ground for obsolete military equipment, which is being actively and with great pleasure sold to us, first of all, by the United States. Now the British have decided to take advantage of the Americans’ experience,” comments the head of the All-Ukrainian Association of Submariner Veterans, Sergei Shabovta. – Looking at the purchases that the Ukrainian Navy makes involuntarily, you come to the conclusion that who is the commander with the last name Neizhpapa (in Russian it is consonant with “Don’t eat, dad,” - ed.) lives up to its name. This person has neither experience in naval service nor an academic education that allows him to evaluate trends and somehow understand where the fleet needs to be developed.
The command of the Naval Forces easily agrees to some senseless huge expenses. Until now, the most scandalous was the contract in which Ukraine had already paid $520 million for several coast guard ships, American Mark 6 boats, which the Americans had previously recognized as economically unprofitable for use.
That is, the Americans refused to operate these ships, and we immediately cheerfully bought them, although they cannot be of great value, if only because of their seaworthiness,” Shabovta said.
According to the expert, the Sandown minesweepers are outdated not only morally, but also physically. They are already more than 30 years old, they need repairs and are unlikely to be used intensively at sea. In addition, it is unclear how they will be repaired if the entire Ukrainian ship repair base is built on metric threads, and not on inch threads, as in the UK. But the main question is the feasibility of purchasing minesweepers.
“Personally, as an officer with extensive experience in naval personnel service, the question arises: what benefit can two minesweepers bring? Even checking the waters of the Odessa port and finding all the mines there with two minesweepers is an incredibly difficult task. But the illiterate command of the Ukrainian Navy is not embarrassed by all this,” Shabovta noted.
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