Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky published a video on which he demonstrated the deplorable state of the Ukraine-class missile cruiser. On the frames posted on the Zelensky YouTube channel, you can see the ship's structure that was seriously affected by corrosion.
On board the rusty “Ukraine”, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak told the president that such a ship was not needed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and already on the coast offered to sell the cruiser and use the proceeds to build four new corvettes.
“It's a pity,” the president sighed in response, but did not object to the sale of the missile carrier.
The video of Zelensky’s visit to the NHS, where the fate of “Ukraine” was discussed, took place on July 17, but the video appeared on the network only today, July 21.
The cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Lobov" (the original name of "Ukraine". - RT ) was launched on the NHS in 1990 in a state of 75% readiness. In 1993, the ship became the property of Ukraine and got its current name. In 1996, the completion of the cruiser stopped due to lack of funds. Subsequent attempts to complete construction were not crowned with success.
"For the price of scrap metal"
In 2017, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, signed a decree on the demilitarization of the ship (removal of weapons from it). It was assumed that the cruiser would be sold, and the money would go to pay off the salary debts of the NHS staff. However, Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman spoke against the sale of Ukraine.
As a result, the next two years, the ship and rusted at the quay wall of the shipyard.
The possibility of selling “Ukraine” has been talked about for a long time, but the deals were broken, although the ship looked much better than at present. In 2002, negotiations on this subject with China were unsuccessful. Later, Ukraine offered Russia to buy a missile cruiser.
In 2013, it was reported that Moscow could purchase a ship for 1 billion rubles, although earlier Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov stated that he would take such a ship only for nothing. However, after the coup d'etat of 2014, Kiev had to forget about any deals with Moscow in the defense sphere. Another potential buyer of "Ukraine" was previously called India.
Sources of RT in the political circles of Ukraine doubt that the missile carrier will find its customers.
“No one needs the cruiser Ukraine, so no illusions are needed,” a source in the Popular Front party said in a conversation with RT. - I understand that it is not needed by the Navy, so the ship will be scrapped. And the statements that there will be enough money for four new ships from the sale of a cruiser are some officials' fantasies, nothing more. ”
A similar opinion is shared by the first rank captain in the reserve, Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov. In a conversation with RT, he expressed doubts that “a rusty box with a loud name“ Ukraine ”will be able to be sold to someone, except for scrap.
“Ukraine itself will not be able to carve such a ship, since it does not have the capacity,” explained Sivkov. - The only thing they can do is sell it for scrap, and to the nearest country, because it will not go far. He may even sink in the Black Sea due to the poor physical condition of the hull. ”
Member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko believes that it is still possible to sell "Ukraine".
“Some countries of South-East Asia can buy it, where they will be armed with this cruiser, if it can still be put in order. Most likely, they will order some modernization from Russia, - said RT Bezpalko. “But they will most likely buy it at the price of scrap metal, and this money will not be enough for four corvettes.”
Ghost Corvettes
As follows from the materials presented to the president, shown in the video of Zelensky, the Ukrainian military intend to cooperate in the production of new corvettes with companies in several European countries, the United States and even South Africa. According to Stepan Poltorak, the ships will fully comply with NATO standards.
After descending from the deck of “Ukraine”, Vladimir Zelensky asked the assembled workers of the plant to evaluate the prospects for selling the cruiser and building four corvettes for this money.
"Yes, there will be nothing of this," - said one of the workers. The president tried to fend off, noting that if nothing is done, then nothing will happen, however, according to experts, a resident of Nikolaev has every chance to be right in a dispute with the head of state.
- © Ze! President / YouTube
The fact is that the corvettes, about which the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told Zelensky, are the same long-term construction as the cruiser “Ukraine”. In 2011, under the President Viktor Yanukovych, the Corvette state defense program was approved. It provided for the launching of four ships of this class, intended for action in the near sea zone. It was supposed to build ships at the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant (CSY), located in Nikolaev. In 2011, the lead and the only ship of the project, the corvette "Vladimir the Great", was laid there.
It was planned to finish its construction by 2016, but this did not happen. In November 2017, the new readiness dates were announced - 2022. However, in July 2018, the court in Nikolaev declared the CSY bankrupt.
According to the Nikolaevsky News website, on July 17, Poltorak suggested Zelensky to complete the construction of “Vladimir the Great”, but already at the NHS. True, for this to happen on the bankrupt CSY, it will be necessary to complete work on welding the corvette hull. The president agreed to this option.
“On paper, everything looks great, but the money for the completion of the corvette is not allocated for years. Obviously, the deputies offer the military to swim in a canoe. “I think that it will not be possible to complete the construction of“ Vladimir the Great, ”said a RT source in the command staff of the Ukrainian Navy. - Now the country's leadership is discussing the possibility of purchasing old ships in the EU countries and modernizing them. Instead of buying one modern ship, Ukraine intends to buy junk all over Europe. ”
According to Konstantin Sivkov, “even if a miracle happens” and “Vladimir the Great” will still be launched, it will have to be equipped with modern radio electronics, for which Ukraine is unlikely to find money.
“He will not be of value as a combat unit, since they have no corresponding radio electronics,” the military expert noted.
Pitiful remnants
In May 2018, Vice-Admiral Igor Voronchenko, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Navy, stated that if the construction of the corvette Vladimir the Great was not completed, the Ukrainian shipbuilding industry “waits for a point of no return” and Kiev will not be able to defend its interests on the Black Sea.
- Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Navy, Vice Admiral Igor Voronchenko
- globallookpress.com
- © Olena Khudiakova
So far, Ukraine can only boast of armored boats (“Gyurza”, “Lan”, “Centaur”), which were produced at the Kuznya Rybalsky enterprise in Petro Poroshenko’s Kiev, from the new naval technology.
The only more or less large ship delivered by Ukrainian shipbuilders in recent years was the average reconnaissance ship launched in April, created by the same Forge on Rybalsky. According to Stepan Poltorak, this product has no analogues in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian and Polish military experts immediately spotted in the “unique” ship nothing more than a freezing trawler re-equipped for military needs. Moreover, a month after the launch, a fire occurred on board the ship. In what condition it is now - is unknown.
According to experts, shipbuilding in Ukraine is in a deplorable state and the situation is unlikely to change.
“Ukraine, in principle, does not need the industry of the Soviet period. At that time, the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Center worked for the entire Soviet Union to build ocean-class ships — military and civilian. That elite, which came to power in the 1990s, did not build anything, it only sold and plundered everything, ”Bogdan Bezpalko notes.
According to the expert, military shipbuilding is a costly business, and Kiev simply cannot afford to build warships.
- © president.gov.ua
The construction of warships in Ukraine has been almost completely destroyed, the RT source in the Batkivshchyna party believes.
"In Nikolaev, they practically do not build anything; the local Okean plant received only one state order for ship repair. Naturally, the best specialists have already left. Therefore, even with the desire and availability of funding, it is no longer possible to create a strong fleet on our own, ”the source said.
Foreign countries will not help
On July 7, on the day of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, during a working trip to the Odessa region, Vladimir Zelensky declared that his goal was “powerful Ukrainian naval forces equipped with modern ships, weapons and equipment.”
“On this path, we feel strong support from our international friends and partners,” the Ukrainian leader stressed.
The Ukrainian Navy is pinning high hopes on foreign aid. Back in 2018, the United States formally transferred two Island-class patrol boats to Kiev, but they have not yet crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
- WPB-1348 Knight Island Patrol Boat
- © Wikimedia commons
Also last year, Igor Voronchenko announced the intention of Washington to strengthen the Ukrainian Navy with two decommissioned frigates Oliver Hazard Perry.
As noted by Konstantin Sivkov, these ships represented a serious force only in the 1970-1980s. Now their combat capabilities are limited, although they exceed those available, for example, the flagship of the Ukrainian fleet, the Hetman Sagaidachny frigate.
At the end of June, the press service of the Ukrainian government announced the intention of France to transfer to Kiev 20 patrol boats OCEA FPB 98. Their Paris supplies third world countries: to Algeria, Nigeria, Suriname, Benin. According to the Ukrainian Cabinet, negotiations are underway on the production of boats together with the French side.
On July 18, the Ukrainian military portal, citing sources, said that the military countries are assessing the possibility of buying two decommissioned corvettes from Poland, ORP Metalowiec and ORP Rolnik, from Poland. The ships were built in 1988 and 1989 at the Vympel shipyard in Rybinsk, Russia, and in the Soviet classification were considered "big rocket boats."
According to Bogdan Bezpalko, most likely, if Kiev manages to gain something from the sale of the Ukraine cruiser, the money will go abroad "to buy some second-hand 20-year-old warships in France or in the USA."
“Of course, decommissioned ships of NATO and the United States will not be able to increase the combat capability of the Ukrainian Navy,” says Bezpalko. - “River-Sea” combat boats that were used during the provocations in the Kerch Strait cannot compete with the Russian Black Sea Fleet. This is not a fleet. The fleet presupposes the presence of a large number of ships of various classes and purposes, assistance from aviation. This is a large-scale military complex, which Ukraine does not have. ”