BALTIMORE, Maryland — As the Russian navy’s swaggering actions to strangle Ukrainian trade in the Azov Sea increases tension between Kyiv and Moscow, Ukraine received two welcome additions to its navy, courtesy of the United States.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was at the U.S. Coast Guard base in the Atlantic Ocean port city of Baltimore on Sept. 27 when the Americans handed over two cutters – small but speedy vessels – which could eventually bolster the Ukrainian navy presence countering Russia’s actions in the Azov Sea.
America handed over the vessels for free but Ukraine will pay an estimated $10 million for their renovation in Baltimore, Maryland, where they will remain until, likely, next fall.
Both Poroshenko and senior American officials who spoke at the ceremony praised Ukraine’s accelerated moves at “inter-operability” to make its forces, equipment and methods compatible with those of NATO. The Ukrainian president said his country was already “effectively NATO’s eastern flank.”
Poroshenko said the transfer of the cutters was was particularly important at a time “when Russia is undermining the freedom of the seas and navigation in the Sea of Azov by hunting and bullying commercial ships under the Ukrainian flag and many other nations’ flags.” He said the Ukrainian military suspected “Russia is testing the waters for a possible offensive using the Azov Sea” to carve a land corridor from its border to occupied Crimea.
He thanked Washington for being Ukraine’s largest source of military aid. That, with help from the UK, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and others had enabled Kyiv to build up a strong army “which is effectively stopping Russian aggression, which is fighting for freedom and democracy and, actually is fulfilling the function of being the eastern flank of NATO.”
He said Ukraine’s recent legislation concerning security increased inter-operability between Ukraine and other NATO countries. Poroshenko said Ukraine is devoting six percent of its GDP to defense, much more than the two percent recommended for NATO members, and that “Proves, that Ukraine is de-facto – I want to repeat again – NATO’s eastern flank.”
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Defense, Robert Karem, noted the U.S. has spent more than a billion dollars in security assistance for Ukraine since 2014 and commended Kyiv on moves to integrate more closely with NATO by increasing “inter-operability” – issues ranging from equipment and weapons to training and learning foreign languages to enable smooth cooperation with NATO members.
He said Russia’s aggression is not simply a matter for Ukraine but “is a threat to the region, Europe, to the United States and to the stability of very international order.” He said that in July the U.S. declared there will be no relief of Crimea-related sanctions until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine.
U.S. backs Ukraine’s right to sail in Azov Sea
Karem condemned Russia’s harassment of international shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait which connects the Azov and Black Seas. The U.S. state department estimated the Russian Navy has delayed hundreds of cargo freighters heading for Ukrainian ports since the spring and has prevented, in recent weeks, at least 16 from reaching their destinations altogether.
All that, says Kyiv, is aimed at crippling Ukraine’s Sea of Azov ports at Mariupol and Berdyansk from which a huge proportion of Ukraine’s exports, such as steel and agricultural products, flow out. Blocking these ports would have disastrous effect for the country’s economy.
The Russians have been stopping Ukrainian and foreign vessels on spurious grounds, delaying them for up to 24 hours. That, says the Ukrainian government, increases already high costs for the vessels’ operators and the disruptions lead to cumulative delays and mounting logistical problems at the ports intended, says Kyiv, to force freight vessel companies to quit business in the Azov Sea, thereby strangling Ukraine’s trade.
The U.S. State Department has called on Russia to cease harassment of international shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and said it “supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity….. extending to its territorial waters.”
Speaking at the ceremony, U.S. Coastguard Vice-Admiral Michael McAllister, said that his service has used “Island Class” cutters, such as the ones transferred to Ukraine, since 1986 to intercept smugglers, conduct defense operations, and for search and rescue operations. The vessels had proven themselves “versatile and effective assets” and he himself had served as a commander of an Island Class cutter. Others of the same type have been transferred to Georgia, Pakistan and Costa Rica.
Using a traditional seagoing greeting the admiral bid the new Ukrainian masters of the two vessels “a fair wind and following seas” and said: “Whilst it’s always bittersweet to watch these cutters leave our service, we are proud to see them continue their service lives as they remain relevant instruments of global maritime safety and security.”
The 34 metre long vessels of between 154-165 tons, each have two diesel engines enabling speeds up to 30 knots. They can patrol for 14 days without replenishment, sailing some 3,380 nautical miles.
Ukrainian Navy Captain Vasyl Radchuk, one of the Ukrainian officers who hauled up Ukrainian flags on the cutters, said the Baltimore renovations will include a complete mechanical overhaul and to fit them with the latest safety, navigation and encrypted communications equipment.
Called by the U.S. Coast Guard the “Drummond” and “Cushing” the two vessels were armed with one 25 mm cannon and two .50-caliber machine guns. Radchuk said the vessels will receive new names and new armaments when they arrive in Odesa next year. They will be transported from America to Ukraine aboard freight vessels.
The process to acquire the vessels took four years said Radchuk, “because we had to overcome the bureaucratic machine which existed in Ukraine……..specifically procedures for the Ukrainian defense department to obtain anything from the United States defense department did not exist……. neither did the Ukrainian naval command have the authority to conduct such transactions.” New laws had to be enacted to rectify the situation.
He said crews are already being trained for the new vessels. There will be two officers and 14 men, the same as the American complement and, as requested by the U.S., the crew will speak reasonable English to improve interoperability with NATO.
Before coming to Baltimore, Poroshenko was in New York to speak at the United Nations General Assembly and meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
Last week two Ukrainian navy vessels sailed into the Azov Sea for the first time since 2014 from the Black Sea. They were harassed by Russian vessels and buzzed by a Russian fighter jet but got through to Berdyansk where Poroshenko said they would form part of a new Ukrainian naval base in the Sea of Azov.
