On the air of the Ukrainian TV channel, a man whose post will be memorized as “the deputy minister of Ukraine on issues of temporarily occupied territories,” Yury Grymchak, suggested sending a reconnaissance ship of the British Navy through the Kerch Strait. To, as he put it, to check the reaction of Russia. Thus, through the mouth of Grymchak, Ukraine calls on the help of the “elder brother”.
The sad but fair fate of the Ukrainian seamen who set off from the port of Berdyansk straight to the Moscow detention center for violating the laws on crossing the border did not seem to sober up the “war party” in Kiev. The goal of Ukraine is to continue to draw attention to the Russian Crimea, otherwise everyone in the world community will forget about Ukraine. Before the elections, Poroshenko must demonstrate to the thinning electorate that he does not forget about the Crimea that he is “trying to do something”.
Adventurers from Kiev have already lost three ships, now they are proposing to risk a British ship. During the electoral period, Ukrainian officials increasingly resemble a child, out of curiosity, throwing fingers into an outlet.
Poorly assessing their strength, relying solely on the weakening support of the United States, they go further and further into their revenge-seeking fantasies. “And it’s curious if this ship goes on a caravan, how further they (Russia. - NT ) will react,” the deputy minister reflects.
What kind of ship is it actually? December 19, the reconnaissance ship of the British Navy HMS Echo arrived in Odessa. British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson said that this ship is a signal for Russia, which testifies to the British support of Ukraine in the face of the threat of aggression. According to Williamson, other warships will follow this ship as part of a more permanent British presence. During his visit, the Minister of Defense of Great Britain held meetings with the families of 24 captured Ukrainian sailors.
At the end of the visit, PASSEX-type maneuvers will be held with the participation of the vessel, which in the Ukrainian media is called the flagship of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, the Hetman Sagaidachny frigate. From the spring of last year to the autumn of the current frigate was sent for another repair after the previous repair failed. About 100 million hryvnas were allocated from the budget of the Ministry of Defense for repairs, restoration and modernization.
In August 2018, the journalist Y. Sokolovskaya spoke on the Ukrainian TV channel, who reported that she had managed to visit the flagship of the Ukrainian naval forces. "Getman Sagaydachny" is at the ship repair plant in the Odessa region.
According to her, the ship is in a deplorable state, and its crew lives on board "in terrible conditions." Sokolovskaya notes that all the weapons have been removed from the ship, there are no engines either, air conditioning systems are either disabled, or (in most premises) they simply do not exist. The temperature inside the Hetman Sagaidachny reaches +60 ° C. The journalist called the warship "canning."
This year the life of the frigate expires (the life cycle of the ship was reduced due to low funding). A number of engine units were going to be replaced, but due to the fact that it was manufactured in 1996 at the Zvezda plant in St. Petersburg, the acquisition of components was impossible, according to the laws of Ukraine on sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine will receive from the US $ 10 million after the incident in the Kerch Strait. “We do this as a sign of solidarity with Lithuania and the United Kingdom, which also plan to increase assistance in the field of Ukraine’s security,” said State Department spokesman Robert Palladino. Also, the United States promises to transfer to Ukraine several decommissioned boats, but for this the country has to go through a lengthy procedure. Such behavior of "Western partners" will only cause further escalation in the Black Sea and threaten Ukraine itself - and first of all (given its proximity to the NPT) the existence of the port of Berdyansk.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.