War in Ukraine: Zelensky announces new strategy at sea

Ukraine wants to push back Russian influence in the western part of the Black Sea. His country will develop a new national maritime strategy to this end, announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily video address. “We clearly understand that the war has changed the balance of power in our Black Sea region and the Russian fleet will never again dominate in these waters,” Zelensky said optimistically. Ukraine will pursue its own national interests at sea and those of its partners and protect transport routes, he said.

Russia had already taken possession of a large part of the Ukrainian fleet when it annexed Crimea in 2014. Further ships were lost to Kiev shortly after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022 with the capture of the port city of Berdyansk in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia. The flagship of the Ukrainian Navy, the Hetman Sahaidachnyj, sank in Mykolaiv.

Even though the Ukrainian Navy does not currently have any large warships, Kiev has succeeded in driving the Russian Black Sea Fleet out of the western part of the Black Sea. This has also enabled maritime trade via Odessa to be at least partially revived. The Ukrainian Navy is also set to be upgraded in the near future with supplies from Western partners.

In addition to strengthening the country’s own striking power at sea, Zelensky also promised to further improve the air defense system. In this context, he referred to the receipt of another Patriot unit from Germany and hinted at further reinforcements as early as next week.

Zelensky’s video address (Ukr with English subtitles)