Ukrainian Naval Forces

On July 5, 2026, Ukraine celebrates Ukrainian Naval Forces Day. As early as the 9th–10th centuries, the warriors of the Kyivan state carried out successful naval campaigns against Constantinople using large wooden boats.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cossack chaikas became the dominant naval force. Ukrainian Cossacks were professional warriors whose way of life, military code, and exceptional mastery of weapons shared many similarities with the culture of Japanese samurai. The Cossack chaikas were highly maneuverable, carried up to 70 warriors, and were equipped with light cannons, allowing the Cossacks to effectively defend their homeland and maintain control over the Black Sea.

In 1918, during the Ukrainian People's Republic, Ukrainian flags were raised on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. A new stage in the development of the Ukrainian Naval Forces began after the restoration of Ukraine's independence in 1991. Today, Ukrainian sailors continue to defend the country in a war that began in 2014 and escalated into russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In June 2026, at the international defense exhibition Eurosatory in Paris, Ukraine unveiled its latest heavy autonomous underwater drone, Sea Trident, capable of transporting heavy payloads over long distances and independently neutralizing threats. The effectiveness of Ukrainian technology has also gained international recognition. During military exercises in the Philippines, U.S. Special Forces successfully used Ukrainian Magura V5 uncrewed surface vessels to strike and sink a target ship.

By combining Neptune missile systems with advanced unmanned technologies, the Ukrainian Naval Forces, together with other branches of the Armed Forces, have achieved major strategic successes. In 2022, they destroyed the flagship of russia's Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser “moskva”. Subsequent precision strikes disabled dozens of additional enemy vessels.

Today, the Ukrainian Naval Forces are one of the key forces in the ongoing isolation and liberation of Crimea. Combined air strikes against enemy logistics, constant patrols by naval drones, and special forces raids using fast boats continue to deny the occupiers control of the sea. Through technological innovation and the courage of its servicemen and women, Ukraine has restored safe maritime navigation and regained control over strategic Black Sea trade routes.