Ukrainian authorities are calculating the optimal path to bring two British Sandown-class minesweepers home soon.
The Defense Express website reported that the British Navy may be about to hand over two Sandown-class minesweeping ships to Ukraine. These are two warships in the aid package that Britain has agreed with Ukraine since August 2022.
Speaking on August 1, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko confirmed that the training of Ukrainian sailors had been deployed by the UK very early. Many modern equipment and weapons were also added to the two ships by the Royal Navy before giving aid to Ukraine.
The two minesweepers, named Chernihiv and Cherkasy respectively, are currently completing the final preparations before being handed over to the Ukrainian Navy.
However, one obstacle that Kiev needs to overcome before putting the two ships into service is the route to move them from Britain to Ukraine.
Normally, the shortest way to bring these two minebreakers to Ukraine is through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits of Turkey. However, since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, Ankara has stated that it will not allow any warships to pass through these two strategic straits.
Defense Express said that the British and Ukrainian authorities will need to actively negotiate with the Turkish side in the hope that Ankara will change its mind and let the two warships Chernihiv and Cherkasy pass through the straits.
Along with three Sea King helicopters, minebreakers Chernihiv and Cherkasy are expected to assist in the clearance of explosives, thereby liberating estuaries and seaports in the southern region of Ukraine.
Previously, the Black Sea ports of Ukraine, especially in the area of Odessa city, were constantly blocked by the Russian army by dense minefields.
These ports are the only sea route for Ukrainian goods. Not only that, it is also the easiest route by which foreign goods can reach the people of this country. Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea for several days has made trade between Ukraine and the rest of the world extremely difficult.
The Russian Foreign Ministry at the end of 2022 said that Russia would only consider ending the blockade of Ukraine's seaports in the Black Sea region if the West agreed to lift all sanctions against Russia.
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