Ukraine would win the war faster if it got permission to launch British and other Western weapons against targets deep inside Russia, the Ukrainian navy chief suggested.
Vice Admiral Oleksiy Nezbaba told Sky News that the course of the entire conflict would have been very different if Ukrainian forces had been allowed to use Western munitions without restrictions from the beginning.
Only the UK, US and other allies agreed to start bidding Ukraine Long-range missiles last year. Ukrainian forces have used them to strike targets in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, but not deep inside them Russia Amid fears of escalation.
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In a wide-ranging interview, the Ukrainian commander also said his navy would gladly take charge of two British warships that the Royal Navy may be forced to retire early due to a shortage of sailors amid a recruitment crisis.
“We must have the necessary capabilities to ensure that Russia will forever abandon the idea of looking in the direction of Ukraine, including at sea,” Vice Admiral Nezbaba said.
Despite limited naval assets, the Ukrainian armed forces – supported by the UK and other allies – were carrying out a David vs. Goliath-style operation against the much larger Russian Black Sea Fleet in and around occupied Crimea, destroying ships, infrastructure and even… Taking out a group of warships. Submarine.
One-finger salute to the Russian pioneer
Memorabilia from the naval war adorns a room in a secret location in Odessa, southern Ukraine, where the admiral gave his interview earlier this month.
In one corner is a used Ukrainian missile tube cap Sinking the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet In the first weeks of the comprehensive invasion.
A Ukrainian missile tube cap that was used to sink the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
The attack on Moscow on April 14, 2022 remains one of Ukraine's most celebrated victories.
On one side of the cover is an image of a Russian ship engulfed in flames with a Ukrainian commando standing at the front giving it a one-finger salute.
The sinking of the Moskva “achieved a military goal, but also a political one,” Vice Admiral Niezbaba, proudly holding the unusual piece of art, about the size of a very large plate, said.
“At that moment, Ukraine realized that Moscow could be defeated.”
A photo of the Moskva missile cruiser was widely shared online
A second photo of Moskva appeared on the Internet
Another piece of history hangs on the wall in a wooden frame covered in glass.
Contains the arming pin of a British Storm Shadow missile launched from a Ukrainian Su-24 bomber. Against the Russian naval headquarters In the coastal city of Sevastopol in Crimea on September 22, 2023 – another historic strike.
The armed pin of a British missile fired at the Russian Navy headquarters in the coastal city of Sevastopol
Effects of the attack
“More than twenty Russian ships destroyed”
Very little is known publicly about covert operations by the Ukrainian military, with support from Western allies, against the Russian Navy, but they involve a range of different attack methods, including underwater drones, Western missiles, and even jet skis.
“Our successes during 2022 and 2023 were the result of difficult but innovative decisions that did not exist before,” the Navy Commander said.
Ukraine is believed to have destroyed more than two dozen Russian ships, forcing Moscow to withdraw a number of warships from the Crimean peninsula to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The measure made it difficult for Russia to impose a naval blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, which was imposed to limit Kiev's ability to export grain.
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Fire and smoke across Sevastopol
The Admiral warns that previous attack methods may no longer be effective
The admiral said that the naval war has two goals: to prevent the Russian Navy from attacking Ukraine and to enable ships to reach Ukrainian ports.
But as the full-scale invasion enters its third year, he warns that previous attack methods may no longer work.
He said, “The enemy adapts, and we must also adapt. Modern war is a war of technology. Whoever wins in the technological sense will be victorious.”
Smoke rises from a shipyard that was subjected to a Ukrainian missile attack in Sevastopol
“Putin acts like a small-time gangster”
Something that could help Ukraine is the ability to use Western long-range weapons, such as the British Storm Shadow missile or US military tactical missile systems, against military targets inside Russia.
Asked whether he believed Ukraine could win the war faster if it received such permission, the commander said: “Of course, the sooner the armed forces have the necessary combat capabilities and certain capabilities to destroy enemy infrastructure facilities, the sooner we will achieve victory.” “.
He added: As a military man, I will say the following: The enemy knows his combat capabilities [our] The armed forces, react according to our actions. So, of course, if we had unlimited capabilities, believe me, the war would have developed completely differently.
He added: “If Ukraine had certain types of long-range weapons that could be used deep into enemy territory, the enemy, of course, would have behaved differently, including on the battlefield.
“Putin behaves like a small-time gangster who knows that if he takes blow with blow, he will not start a fight… If he understands that Ukraine can resist and make him really feel pain, then of course he will give him more money.” all of this. That's it.”
“The Navy needs warships.”
The Western allies – according to public comments by military and political leaders – limited the use of their weapons inside Ukraine and Ukrainian territories controlled by Russia due to concern about igniting a direct war between Moscow and the West, despite Russian forces launching strikes. Against Ukrainian forces from locations across Russia.
In addition to providing the missiles, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps revealed last December that two Royal Navy mine-hunting ships would be transferred to the Ukrainian Navy, although the two ships would not be able to enter Ukrainian ports until the war ended due to restrictions on access to… Black Sea. sea.
Britain is also reportedly considering retiring two Type 23 frigates due to a shortage of sailors.
Asked whether his navy would be interested in HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll if that happened, Vice Admiral Nisbaba said: “Of course, the Navy needs warships, because we realize that there is no Navy without ships. That is why, if such ships… Deciding on the possibility of delivering two frigates to [Ukrainian] Navy, we will be very happy.”
