New Partnership Targeting Moscow: Ukraine Orders Turkish Combat Ships and Drones to Bolster Ageing Fleets in the Black and Azov Seas

Amid ongoing tensions between Turkey and Russia, which have seen the two parties support opposing sides in recent clashes in Syria and Libya and Ankara intervene in Armenia in ways not welcomed by Moscow, Turkey has invested heavily in bolstering its relations with Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia have been firmly at odds since the overthrow of the government in Kiev in 2014 and imposition of a new pro-Western government shortly afterwards, with Russia reclaiming the Crimean Peninsula from its neighbour that year and widely alleged to be supporting anti-government militia groups in the country’s eastern regions. Following the Russian capture of Ukrainian warships allegedly violating its waters in November 2018, Ukraine has reportedly placed orders for new light corvette sized ships from Turkey to modernise its navy. These are being procured for the Ukrainian Navy to enhance security in the Black and Azov Sea regions, and will be supplemented by a contingent of Turkish drones.

Ukraine war formerly home to the only shipyards in the world capable of producing supercarrier warships during the late Soviet era, although its defence sector has declined drastically since leaving it heavily reliant on foreign sources to provide even light warships. According to the statement issued on 15 December 2020, Ukrainian Defence Minister Andrii Taran reportedly signed a contract with Turkey during a visit to Kiev by the head of the Turkish parliament Ismail Demir, although the financial value of the contracts and the types of weapons ordered were not disclosed. The agreement may well have been pursued instead of a previously discussed deal for Ukraine to acquire Oliver Hazard Perry Class light destroyers second hand from the United States, which are a much older an increasingly obsolete design. The announcement of the contract for more modern Turkish ships notably came just a day after the U.S. placed economic sanctions on Turkey, and could be seen as a sign of solidarity between the two Russian adversaries which have both had strained relations with Washington.