The dramatic events in Donetsk, Lugansk and other areas, called streamlined Southeast, somehow overshadowed the consequences of the return of the Crimean peninsula to the Russian Federation. The fighting is conducted on land, and the fate of the Ukrainian Navy was in the shadows. From open sources it is difficult to judge how many and which ships are left in its composition, where they will be based, what are the prospects for this type of armed forces.
Country and Fleet
It is extremely difficult to consider the state of the fleet in isolation from the general economic situation in the country. The naval forces of any state are not only warships and auxiliary ships. Without a developed infrastructure, maintenance system and material support, a set of watercraft can be likened to a large number of specially molded metal, which so far remains on the water surface, but it is quite possible that it will soon cease. The aphorism of a politician of the end of the 19th century who said that the best way to ruin a hostile country is a gift in the form of a cruiser. Even if the ship stands near the wall of the pier, it still needs to be repaired and painted all the time, it needs to turn the screws, not to mention the constant training of the team. It’s also impossible to drive a cruiser or a battleship to any port just like that, the question immediately arises about fuel tanks, weapons arsenals, docks, warehouses and all that it cannot do without. The maintenance of the navy is expensive, and not all countries can afford it ...
A striking example is the Ukrainian Navy.
History of creation
As of 1991, the Soviet Black Sea Fleet was not the most powerful (for geostrategic reasons, preferences were given to the North and the Pacific), but its size was impressive. The Black Sea Fleet’s technical capabilities suggested its ability to provide a stable combat effect on a potential enemy in the event of a large-scale military conflict, extending it to the entire South-East region of the Mediterranean, and included missile forces, aviation, coastal artillery, submarines and surface ships. The section of the Black Sea Fleet in 1991-1992 marked the beginning of the creation of the Ukrainian Navy. The composition of the ships, according to the 1995 agreement, was divided in the ratio of 81.7% and 18.3% in favor of the Russian Federation, while technical stocks, weapons and property were distributed in half. For four years, the Black Sea Fleet was under joint management. In 1993, they began to seriously divide it.
Section One, 1996
The buildup of the Ukrainian Navy took place gradually, in June-July 1993, its composition was replenished by the Donetsk air base air cushion, then by Getman Sagaidachny, a command structure was formed, and new military units were created (almost 50). Work began on international cooperation, trips and calls of ships to foreign ports. 70% of the bases went to Ukraine, including Odessa, Izmail, Donuzlav, Balaklava. The main military airfields in Limansk, Mirny, Oktyabrsky and Veseloy, alternate in Genichesk, Sokologorny, Bolshoi Tokmak and 80% of coast-based points suffered the same fate. Such fast and successful Ukrainization prompted the deployment of the Ukrainian Navy headquarters in Sevastopol.
Final separation
The Soviet legacy was huge. Due to a lack of funds for its maintenance, it was partially lost. Airfields, submarine bases, headquarters and missile units were used as objects of the national economy or simply fell into disrepair. The first exercises of the Ukrainian Navy were called "Sea-96", the moment of their beginning (August 1) marked the creation of their own fleet.
At the end of May 1997, the presidents of the Russian Federation and Ukraine B. Yeltsin and L. Kuchma agreed on the conditions for the Russian Black Sea Fleet to be in Crimea. According to the terms of the Friendship Agreement, the Black Sea Fleet sailors were now on foreign land, and for this it was supposed to pay rent. The final division of the former Soviet fleet has begun.
Attribute
All military people honor traditions, and sailors in particular. Any Russian sailor (as well as English, for example) will list by heart what glorious victories are symbolized by strips on a guis (collar). When creating the Ukrainian fleet, something urgently needed to be done. Their own traditions were clearly not enough. Apparently, this is why the white-blue color scheme, in which the flag of the Ukrainian Navy is designed, resembles the Russian Andreevsky, despite the fact that the cross was taken not oblique, but straight. In order to reduce the similarity, an additional blue-yellow element was placed in one of the sectors. The ceremonial and everyday uniforms of Ukrainian sailors also resemble the Russian one in many respects. The basic everyday rituals are in many respects common to all fleets of the world, and, accepting them, the military leadership proceeded from these realities.
Chronic Growth Diseases
The conditions in which the Ukrainian military found themselves were not easy. The usual management scheme turned out to be destroyed along with a large country, and now a completely new geopolitical situation has arisen, which should first be studied, and then developed its own military, and in particular naval, doctrine.
It immediately became clear that many of the opportunities possessed by the Soviet Black Sea Fleet were lost. The Ukrainian Navy is limited in the area of operations, it simply does not have a sufficient number of remote bases on which it could rely in supply. Actually, even the expediency of its existence was called into question by many in the Verkhovna Rada, but in the future considerations of state prestige still won. The armament consisted of only one submarine (Zaporozhye), unsuitable for diving. In the same condition, she remains to this day. The calling card (in the very literal sense of the word, it was this frigate who made friendly visits to foreign ports) remains Hetman Sagaidachny. Fighting “Konstantin Olshansky”, the BDK project 775 Polish construction (1985). The rest of the material part, consisting of several dozen ships, is in an extremely depressing state. Funds for the development of the Ukrainian navy for all years of independence have not been allocated.
If tomorrow is war
Events in Crimea, which began immediately after the overthrow of President Yanukovych and led to the separation of the autonomous region from the rest of Ukraine, led to the fact that for several days the Andreevsky flag was raised by 72 military units, including 25 auxiliary vessels and 6 warships. The boats were subsequently returned to the Ukrainian side.
Rear Admiral Berezovsky, commander of the Ukrainian Navy, after one-day fulfillment of his duties, took an oath to the people of Crimea.
What's next?
The new leadership of Ukraine is set to cooperate with Western countries, there is no doubt about it. Having lost the only naval base, it is in no hurry to deal with naval affairs. The president and the prime minister have enough land problems. The economic collapse, which is likely to take hold of the country after completion (at any outcome of the military campaign called ATO), will not add optimism to those Ukrainian sailors who have remained faithful to the oath and left the usual Crimean cities and went to mainland Ukraine. The intentions of the European Union and NATO are unlikely to include building a powerful Ukrainian Navy. What will happen next? Time will tell…