Russia can reuse Ukrainian artillery ships to protect Donbass port

TASS news agency reported that some of the warships of the Ukrainian navy seized by the Russian armed forces during a special military operation can be used to protect the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol in eastern Ukraine (Donbass).

According to the source of TASS, these ships have been restored to a state of technical readiness and can be put into use. Most of these ships are small artillery ships.

“Among the spoils of the Russian navy are a number of Ukrainian artillery ships. Their future will be decided in the near future. One of the current proposals is to reuse them to protect the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol”the source of TASS said.

According to this source, a final decision has not been made and the ships are still in storage by the Russian navy. If reused, they could be in service with the Russian border guards or the Black Sea Fleet.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on this information.

Before the special military operation (February 24), the Ukrainian navy had about 25 warships, artillery ships and patrol boats of all kinds (according to statistics of the Russian Ministry of Defense). Most of Ukraine’s warships have been disabled, but there are still a few ships that are still operational.

This can be seen in the counterattack of the Ukrainian navy on Snake Island on May 9, resulting in the sinking of three gunboats of Project 58181 “Centaur”, each of which can carry a platoon. Marines.

According to TASS sources, Ukrainian gunboats being seized by the Russian navy are likely to be ships of Project 58150/58155 “Gyurza” https://vtc.vn/”Gyurza-M”, at least one ship Cho was arrested as Russian forces entered Berdyansk.

Gyurza-M are the first warships launched and commissioned by Ukraine since Russia annexed Crimea in early 2014. This country owns 6 Gyurza-M gunboats and 3 Gyurza-class ships.

Each of these gunboats is 23 m long, 4.8 m wide and has a full load displacement of about 54 tons. Two diesel engines allow the Gyurza-M ships to reach a maximum speed of 46 km / h, a range of 1,700 km when traveling at a speed of 22 km / h. The ship’s engine compartment, weapons and bridge are made of bulletproof steel, which can withstand many direct hits from infantry guns.

The duties of the Gyurza-M class are to patrol rivers and inshore waters, as well as rescue and combat piracy. The ships are fitted with an optical-electronic fire control system with the ability to track multiple targets on the sea surface.

The main armament of the Gyurza-M is two remote-controlled weapon systems BM-5M.01 “Katran-M” that can integrate various automatic artillery models. In addition, they can also expand their attack capabilities with the addition of Barrier-guided anti-tank missiles with a maximum range of 5,000 m.

Previously, in 2018, the Black Sea Fleet (Russia) detained two Gyurza-M ships of the Russian navy during a clash in the Sea of ​​Azov, when a group of Ukrainian ships tried to cross the Kerch Strait into the Black Sea. These ships were later returned to Ukraine by the Russian side.