The UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) made the announcement in a statement on Saturday and also noted that Ukrainian personnel will be trained in the use of the minesweepers. The news comes as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its sixth month and President Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered a series of setbacks in the Black Sea, including losing control of the strategically important Snake Island in June. “Six autonomous mine hunting vehicles will be sent to the country [Ukraine] to help detect Russian mines in waters off its coast,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. “Three of these will be provided from UK stocks, while another three will be bought by industry.” “The light autonomous vehicles are designed for use in shallow coastal environments, operating effectively at depths of up to 100 meters to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors so that the Ukrainian Navy can destroy them,” said the ministry. Sky News reported on Saturday that Ukrainian personnel had already begun a three-week training course on how to use the drones at a facility in southern England, with the commander of that unit speaking to the network on condition of anonymity. The commander was quoted as saying that the drones “will be very useful for us to clear the sea area, especially in a very critical area near Odessa.” Lord Admiral Alan West, Former First Sea Lord – the UK’s most senior naval officer – told Sky News that the mine hunters would be a “game changer” for the navy in Ukraine. “They should be able to clear a main route from their ports very quickly,” the admiral said, noting the need to move much-needed grain out of the region as well as other products. Exports from Black Sea ports resumed in August after the Russian blockade was lifted, but there is still a risk from undersea mines and progress on exports has been slow. The UK Ministry of Defense said Russia was “arming food by destroying Ukrainian agriculture and blocking Black Sea ports to prevent exports, with devastating consequences for the world’s poorest people as food prices rise”. The ministry said “efforts to get food out of the country continue to be hampered by sea mines laid by Russian forces along the coast of Ukraine.” Newsweek has reached out to the Russian and Ukrainian governments for comment. The mine-hunting drones are likely to add pressure on Russia, which has already suffered a series of setbacks during the war, including in the Black Sea. In April, the Russian flagship Moskva was lost after Ukraine claimed it had hit the ship with Neptune missiles. The Russian government claimed the ship, which had an estimated value of $750 million, sank after a fire broke out on board. Up to 250 Russian sailors may have died in the loss of the Moscow. Ukraine claimed to have pushed Russian forces off the strategically and symbolically important Snake Island in the Black Sea in June. Russia claimed they had withdrawn voluntarily. Maltese-flagged bulk carrier M/V Rojen, carrying tons of corn, leaves the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, before heading to Teesport in the United Kingdom, on August 5, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Inset, Ukrainian Navy divers take part in classroom and hands-on training with unmanned underwater vehicles. The UK will supply Ukraine with underwater mine-hunting drones. OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/MOD/GETTY
