Ukrainian minesweepers train with Royal Navy in British waters for post-war de-mining

Five Ukrainian mine-countermeasure ships—UNS Henichesk, UNS Mariupol, UNS Melitopol, UNS Chernihiv and UNS Cherkasy—participated in a joint training operation with the Royal Navy in British waters, escorted by HMS Dauntless and later operating alongside HMS Prince of Wales. Conducted under Exercise Lion Protector, the week-long drill focused on refining mine-hunting skills, including live firing and the deployment of Seafox ROVs to locate and destroy simulated mines.

The vessels, transferred from the UK, Belgian and Dutch navies, are currently home-ported at Portsmouth because the Montreux Convention prevents military vessels from entering the Black Sea while hostilities continue. Ukraine’s navy, which now fields five minesweepers, cannot yet conduct clearance in the Black Sea, but the training prepares it for the massive de-mining effort expected after the conflict ends. The exercises also formed part of broader NATO-led efforts, such as Operation Interflex, to bolster Ukraine’s maritime capabilities. Continued mining of the Black Sea threatens commercial shipping and regional economies, making the development of Ukrainian MCM capacity strategically important.