Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers are already being trained to use vehicles designed to clear the seas.
Britain is sending unmanned underwater vehicles to Ukraine to search for mines near the shore. Details were reported by the official website of the UK Ministry of Defence.
The British are delivering six drones to Ukraine to clear the seas. The UK will allocate three devices from the government warehouse and will receive three more from the manufacturer privately. In addition, in the coming months, experts from the Royal Navy and the US Army will train dozens of Ukrainian soldiers for themselves how to use the new equipment, the first group has already started training.
While the Ministry of Defense did not reveal the model of the underwater vehicle, it shared some technical specifications. According to the agency, the drone is designed to operate in shallow waters at depths of up to 100 meters. Using an array of sensors, it can detect underwater mines and identify their type so the military can safely destroy them later.
One of the Ukrainian sailors told Sky News that drones would be very useful in clearing the sea, especially in the critical area near Odessa. Complete removal of the coastline may take decades, but drones will help speed up the process.
“Our main task is to detect these mines, because this is very important not only for the military, but also for civilian ships, civilian commerce,” the army said.
The agency stressed that sea mines interfere with the movement of grain ships sent for export. In July, the UN and Turkey reached an agreement to allow food exports from Ukraine, but the actions of Russian troops prevent this from happening.
Russia is using food as a weapon, destroying Ukraine’s agriculture and blockading the country’s Black Sea ports to prevent exports, with devastating consequences for the world’s poorest people as food prices rise.
On July 22, Ukraine signed a document on grain exports by sea with Turkey and the UN acting as guarantors. At the same time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu signed a mirror agreement with them.
Grain Export Joint Coordination Center was opened in Istanbul on 26 August. Ukraine and Turkey representatives discussed the first cargo deliveries over the Black Sea.
They wrote that earlier the Ukrainians developed unique underwater drones called Kronos. Highland Systems ensures that the device can fire torpedoes and drop directly into the water, carrying a crew of up to 10 people.
Source: Riafan
