Ukrainian warships Cherkasy and Chernihiv flying the flags of the Ukrainian Navy with Ukrainian crews are preparing to take part in the Sea Breeze 2024 international exercises, which will also be attended by NATO countries. This was reported by the Voice of America, according to UNN.
Details
"The Ukrainian warships Cherkasy and Chernihiv, which were transferred by the UK to the Ukrainian Navy, entered the British naval base of Portsmouth on April 11, having moved from their previous base in Scotland. Two minesweepers flying the flags of the Ukrainian Navy with Ukrainian crews are preparing to participate in the international Sea Breeze 2024 exercises together with ships from the United States, the United Kingdom and other NATO countries," the publication writes.
The exercises will be part of preparations for the relocation of the ships to Ukraine, where Cherkasy and Chernihiv will be able to detect and defuse sea mines to ensure safer navigation in the Black Sea.
"Now they cannot go to the Black Sea, as Turkey, in accordance with the provisions of the international Montreux Convention, has announced that in connection with the Russian war against Ukraine, it prohibits the passage of warships from the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus Strait," the publication adds.
It is emphasized that Ukrainian sailors on the Cherkasy and Chernihiv ships will improve their combat skills together with British and other partners and improve their ability to interact with partners from NATO countries while waiting to return home.
Recall
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is launching a grouping of mine countermeasures forces in the Black Sea. The government has already adopted a resolution regulating funding for the implementation of the project on mine safety in the sea.
The government decree opens up funding for the project to supply and maintain two British Sandown-class mine countermeasures ships, Cherkasy and Chernihiv, as envisaged by the Framework Agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the United Kingdom.