UKRAINE'S NAVY WAS NEARLY ELIMINATED. NOW IT'S REBUILDING THE FLEET

摘要

When Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, it absorbed land and people. But in the process, and with less attention, Russia also took 75 percent of Ukraine's naval fleet, the majority of its helicopters and the bulk of the country's ship repair capacity. With Sevastopol Naval Base gone, the Ukrainian Navy essentially needed to start from scratch. Seventy percent of naval personnel either defected or were dismissed, and the fleet was now just one frigate - a ship that had been deployed at the time. Since then, the United States, the United Kingdom and other NATO members have guided the Black Sea nation to rebuild its fleet as well as its ground and special operations forces. And this summer, the effort has taken another step forward by helping the nation achieve interoperability with NATO forces.