Ukrainian Navy participate in Exercise Joint Warrior in UK

Members of the Ukrainian Navy have joined an exercise for NATO allies to train alongside each other in the Scottish Highlands for the first time.

Exercise Joint Warrior, which takes place twice a year, is a UK-led training programme. It has been designed to provide troops from NATO members and their allies the opportunity to train in realistic but safe environments and improve their joint operational capabilities.

The Ukrainian Navy confirmed on Facebook its participation in Joint Warrior-23-II, where it has joined 10 other nations taking part in the exercise which has featured up to 19 warships and submarines, 20 aircraft and approximately 2,000 military personnel.

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A spokesperson for the Royal Navy remarked: ‘We can confirm that Ukrainian naval forces are taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior 23-II as part of the wider UK training programme in support of Ukraine.’

According to the Public Relations Service of the Navy Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the exercise has featured the opposing ships ‘Cherkasy’ and ‘Chernihiv’, with maritime exercise areas located primarily off the northwest coast of Scotland.

In July 2023, the Royal Navy released information on its training programme with Ukrainian troops taking place in Scotland, which included drills on disarming and defusing Russian bombs, booby traps and mines. Royal Navy divers, bomb disposal and mine warfare experts were involved in the exercises, along with specialist personnel from the Royal Navy’s Diving and Threat Exploitation Group (DTXG).

At the time, Lieutenant Commander David Starkey, commanding officer of DTXG Delta and Echo Squadrons, remarked: ‘This training has delivered real value. The operational capability of all the nations has improved and this continued effort, working together again, has led to a really integrated team developing to counter explosive threats in the maritime environment.’

Earlier this week, Shephard reported on how British Army Royal Engineer specialists were delivering a new training programme to help Ukraine protect its infrastructure from Russian missile and UAV attacks. The training will aim to improve Ukraine’s ability to plan the defence of its critical national infrastructure.

In August 2022, Shephard also focused on how the UK was supporting Ukraine with further maritime training and equipment, as Ukrainian Navy personnel learned how to operate Sandown-class minehunters. Eighty Ukrainian personnel received comprehensive expert instruction from Royal Navy mine-hunting crews, with Ukrainians arriving in cohorts from 22 May 2022.