Contents tagged with Black Sea

  • Ukraine reinforces its Azov and Black Sea border guards with Special Forces

    Ukrainian border guards working in the waters of the Azov and Black Seas will be reinforced with Naval Special Forces, said Head of the State Border Service of Ykraine (SBSU) Petro Tsyhykal, reported the press service of the SBSU.

    Tsyhykal explained that apart from law enforcement responsibilities, the Border Service’s task is to strengthen efforts in the east of the country in response to Russia’s actions, including in the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.

    “I think we will have about a …

  • Ukraine to allocate over 5% of its GDP to the defense budget

    The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) has adopted the main parameters of the defense budget for 2019, the NSDC’s press service stated. Over 5% of the GDP will be allocated for the needs of security and defense sector of Ukraine.

    "At the request of the president of Ukraine, a significant increase in servicemen’s pay is one of the important priorities of the budget for next year,” noted Secretary of the NSDC Oleksandr Turchynov. He said the development, preparation of …

  • Ukraine and Turkey to conduct joint patrols in the Black Sea

    The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the Turkish Coast Guard will jointly patrol the Black Sea.

    According to the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the head of the Interior Ministry Arsen Avakov and the commander of the Turkish Coast Guard Ahmet Kendir reached this agreement.

    “We conduct serious consultations and work with the commander of the Turkish Coast Guard, Ahmet Kandir regarding joint actions between our border guards such as monitoring and rapid response  …

  • Russia detains Ukrainian vessel in the Black Sea

    On August 28, Representatives of the border office of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Crimea detained Ukrainian fishing boat number YAOD-2105 and its crew of four, as stated on Facebook by the Main Department of the Ukrainian National Police (MDNP) in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.

    According to the police, four fishermen are held at the border post of Sevastopol. “On these grounds, two criminal proceedings have been instituted under Section 1, Article 146-1 …

  • Russia detains Ukrainian bulk cargo ship in the Azov Sea

    On the night of Saturday, September 1, the coast guard of the Russian Federal Security Service detained the Ukrainian bulk cargo ship Amadore in the Azov Sea, which was on the way from Mariupol near Berdyansk, reported on Facebook the Editor-in-Chief of the information portal BlackSeaNews, Andrey Klimenko.

    "At 10:00 am on Saturday morning, the vessel was still detained. Usually such detentions continue for three hours. However, on the way to the Azov Sea this vessel waited for permission in …

  • Russia blocks sea route to Odessa

    On Wednesday, August 15, between 7:00 and 20:00, the north-western portion of the Black Sea, from the Tarkhanut Peninsula to the Danube Delta, was closed to ship movement. According to the Ukrainian Military Portal, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was to blame for the disruption.

    Several civilian vessels – the cargo ship Nahide-M, the tankers Hercules and Yukon Star – were forced to stop moving and drop anchors. The civilian vessels Ocean Force and BFP Melody were warned by Russian military ships …

  • Ukraine unveils its Navy Development strategy

    The Naval command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has unveiled its development strategy for the Navy until 2035, which will enable it to oppose Russian aggression at sea.

    “The Naval Command believes that one of the primary tasks in the restoration of the fleet is to lay the foundations for the systematic and reliable development of the Navy as a form of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Navy posted on its official Facebook page.

    Virtually everyone employed in the security sector will …

  • Ukrainian and NATO ships carry out military exercises in the Black Sea

    The Ukrainian Navy, standing NATO maritime group and standing NATO mine countermeasures group carried out PASSEX joint military exercises in the Black Sea, reported Ukraine Naval Command’s press service. The goal of the training was to improve interoperability and to practice interaction as part of multinational tactical units in accordance with NATO standards.

    Three tactical groups took part in the maneuvers: multi-purpose ships, mine countermeasures ships and gunboats.

    At the beginning of …

  • Kyiv: Ukraine negotiating sanctions with western partners against Russian Black Sea ports

    According to Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan, Ukraine is negotiating sanctions with the West against Russian Black Sea ports.

    “We are holding negotiations with our European and American partners in order to impose appropriate sanctions against the Black Sea ports because of the blockade of the Azov Sea  for Ukrainian ships [ by Russia],” he said on channel 112 TV.

    According to Omelyan, the wave of sanctions against Moscow is rising and the latest decision by US Congress …

  • American warships enter the Black Sea for joint exercises with Ukraine

    On Saturday, July 7, the U.S. 6th Fleet Blue Ridge-class command-and -control ship USS Mount Whitney entered the Black Sea to participate in the American-Ukrainian Sea Breeze 2018 naval exercises at Odessa, reported Naples-based 6th Fleet Command.

    "The Mount Whitney entered the Black Sea on July 7 to carry out security operations at sea, to improve regional marine stability and also to improve training of naval forces of NATO’s allies and partners. Within this mission, the ship will …