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ConflictUkrainian fleet completes minehunting drills with NATO off English coast
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Five Ukrainian minehunters, donated by Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands, completed a two-week training exercise called Sea Breeze 26-2 off the coast of Portland, Dorset, alongside NATO allies. The exercise was co-led by the US Sixth Fleet and Ukraine, hosted by the Royal Navy, and involved 16 countries including Japan, Sweden, and Turkey. Crews practiced minehunting, bomb disposal, diving, salvage, live firing, and uncrewed systems. Two ships from Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 participated. The exercise, originally held in the Black Sea since 1997, moved after Russia's 2022 invasion due to restrictions under the Montreux Convention. Ukraine lost its main naval bases in Crimea and rebuilt its fleet with allied donations. The minehunters are intended to clear approaches to Ukrainian ports and facilitate grain exports.
Source report
Exercise Overview
A two-week exercise to sharpen Ukraine’s ability to hunt sea mines has concluded off the Dorset coast. Sea Breeze 26-2 ended on Friday after a fortnight of training in the waters off Portland.
The exercise was co-led by the US Sixth Fleet and Ukraine, and hosted by the Royal Navy.
Participating Nations
Sixteen countries took part:
- Bulgaria
- Denmark
- Estonia
- France
- Georgia
- Greece
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Spain
- Sweden
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
Ukrainian Minehunters
Five Ukrainian Navy minehunters were involved, every one of them a gift from an ally:
- Chernihiv and Cherkasy – donated by the Royal Navy
- Mariupol – donated by Belgium
- Melitopol and Henichesk – donated by the Netherlands
Training Activities
Crews practised:
- Minehunting
- Bomb disposal
- Diving and salvage
- Live firing
- Use of uncrewed systems alongside crewed ones
NATO Participation
Two ships from Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) joined the exercise:
- LNS Jotvingis – Lithuanian command ship
- ORP Mewa – Polish minehunter
Their commander, Lithuanian Navy Commander Donatas Gecas, said:
“Under Lithuanian command, SNMCMG1 was proud to lead this multinational effort, working alongside the Ukrainian Navy and Allied partners to strengthen our ability to detect, identify and neutralise sea mines.”
He added:
“Recent events have shown that mines remain one of the most persistent threats to maritime security, freedom of navigation and global trade. By training together, we enhance interoperability, share operational experience and ensure that our forces are ready to keep sea lines of communication open and safe.”
Background
NATO stated that the training strengthened the ability of allied and partner navies to work together on maritime security and freedom of navigation.
Sea Breeze has run since 1997 and used to take place in the Black Sea. It moved after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Warship movements through the Turkish Straits are restricted in wartime under the Montreux Convention, and drifting mines have been a hazard to merchant shipping in the Black Sea ever since.
Ukraine lost its main naval bases in Crimea and much of its fleet, and has rebuilt around vessels handed over by allies. Those minehunters are meant to clear the approaches to Ukrainian ports and help keep grain exports moving once conditions allow.
Source
UK Defence JournalWestern
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Ukrainian Fleet Trains with NATO Off English Coast