Constituting a new reinforcement for its mine warfare capabilities, Ukraine is preparing to incorporate five new Sandown- and Alkmaar-class ships that will equip its Navy, these being vessels transferred by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The development in question was confirmed by the Office of the President through its Telegram channel, with the publication of a statement indicating that this milestone would be completed by next June, although for security reasons these ships would temporarily remain in British ports until it is safe to transfer them to the Black Sea to begin clearing operations across wide maritime areas.
Going into further detail, it can be noted that the United Kingdom will send two Sandown-class ships formerly belonging to the Royal Navy, specifically HMS Shoreham and HMS Grimsby, which have now been renamed Cherkasy and Chernihiv, respectively. In both cases, these are vessels that had already been formally transferred in 2023, characterized, among other things, by their low magnetic signature and high maneuverability, factors especially useful for the aforementioned role.
On the other hand, it should be highlighted that these are ships with which Ukrainian personnel have already been able to familiarize themselves through NATO military exercises, in which they obtained the corresponding certifications for mine warfare operations. Specifically, this refers to the multinational Sea Breeze exercises in their 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions, while they also formed part of the assets deployed for the Joint Warrior-23-II exercise led by the United Kingdom, a country that at that time also allowed the Ukrainian ships to remain in its ports due to the impossibility of returning to the Black Sea.
Turning to the Alkmaar-class ships to be sent by Amsterdam, it can be mentioned that these are the vessels that will be named Mariupol and Genichesk, both of which previously served in the Royal Netherlands Navy. According to the information currently available, the future Ukrainian crews are already in Dutch territory receiving training from their hosts ahead of the final transfer, thus streamlining the incorporation process. From Belgium, the ship sent also belongs to the aforementioned Alkmaar class, and once in Ukrainian hands, it was renamed Melitopol in honor of one of the occupied Ukrainian cities.
Regarding these latter three ships, the statement published by the Ukrainian government highlights that they are platforms equipped with the capability to deploy modern sonars for mine detection, as well as underwater vehicles capable of destroying them in such a way that the vessel itself is not placed at risk. In the cases of Mariupol and Melitopol, these capabilities were also validated during military exercises conducted alongside various Western partners of Kyiv, particularly during Sea Breeze 2025.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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