PhotoStory
Zelenskyy boards Ukrainian minehunter ship anchored in Portsmouth
Nation28 July, 02:19 AM
During his visit to the UK on July 27, President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy boarded the Ukrainian minehunter Cherkasy anchored at Portsmouth
Naval Base, Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.
He was accompanied by UK officials, including PM Andy
Burnham.
Photo: President's Office
Ukraine received the Cherkasy from Britain in January 2023.
The Portsmouth base is home to five Ukrainian mine countermeasure vessels:
Melitopol, Mariupol, Henichesk, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv.
Melitopol minehunter ship in the background
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Photo: President's Office
They will remain based there until the Russo–Ukrainian war ends, after which they will be able to carry out demining operations in Ukrainian waters.
The Cherkasy is the former UK minehunter HMS Grimsby, a
Sandown-class vessel that served more than 20 years in the Royal Navy before
being transferred to Ukraine. The ship was named after a Ukrainian minesweeper
of the same name whose crew resisted Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.