Fighters from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 73rd Special Forces Naval Center are learning abordage skills as part of the continuing VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) practices.
“Out in the open sea, we are holding training in abordage – seizure of a ship – as part of the VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) drills,” the center said on Facebook on April 22.
The training is already in its third stage, it said.
On April 12 the center’s fighters practiced air assault on vessels with a view to seize the vessel, which is one of the core elements of abordage.
The first stage of training began on April 17.
“Key to operations on the water is working as part of a team primarily and individual professionalism comes second. Regardless of how qualified are individual skills and capabilities of an abordage group, if the unit has no skills in working in cohesion, the operation could end in a flop,” the Center commented at the time.
The second stage of training began on April 18 and involved the naval center’s intelligence officers.
The 73rd Special Naval Center was formed around 7th Separate Special Forces Brigade. It consists of three components: naval, air assault, and ground, and is based in Ochakiv, Mykolaiv region.
