Zelensky revealed an interesting new maritime strategy to protect Ukraine

Ukraine has adopted a new maritime strategy aimed at boosting the country’s defensive capabilities on the high seas according to the decree document that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office released to the public.

The Black Sea has become one of the critical theaters of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is also the theater where Kyiv has found the most success against Moscow as it has worked to push Russian troops out of the country. 

Ukraine's asymmetrical warfare strategy of employing cost-effective unmanned surface vehicles to target and sink expensive naval warships has effectively pushed the Russian Navy out of the Western Black Sea, and that isn’t hyperbole. 

On July 15th, Ukraine claimed Russia removed its last patrol ship from occupied Crimea according to Reuters. This victory against Moscow occurred after a years-long battle on the Black Sea that saw Russia lose several of its key vessels in the region. 

"The last patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is bolting from our Crimea just now. Remember this day," Naval spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk noted in a post published on Facebook according to Reuters. 

When asked to clarify his remarks by Reuters, Pletenchuk said that the move was "most likely, this is a transition between bases” adding that Russia did not send its vessels out for no reason. However, Russia did not respond to a request to comment. 

Ukrainian naval tactics on the Black Sea have led to the loss of twenty-six vessels since the beginning of the Russian invasion according to a report on the situation written by Professor Brian Glyn Williams and published by The Conversation. 

The stunning victory on the Black Sea is something Ukrainian leadership understands well, and in early July Zelensky revealed the Kyiv was working on a new strategy to ensure that Ukraine continued its dominance of the key region. 

"We clearly understand that the war has changed the balance of forces in our entire Black Sea region, and the Russian Fleet will never dominate this water area again," Zelensky said in his July 6th evening address according to The Kyiv Independent.

"We are consolidating our interests, taking into account the new technological possibilities of Ukraine and our relations with partners," Zelensky added. "Ukraine will always be a state capable of protecting its own interests at sea, transport arteries, and the interests of our allies and partners.”

On July 17th, Zelensky enacted Ukraine's new Maritime Security Strategy, signing a decree that was published to his presidential website which outlined how Kyiv planned to move forward to protect its vital shipping links to the rest of the world. 

The Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi reported that the new policy document outlines that Kyiv is planning to ensure its “preparedness, comprehensive and effective prevention, and response to threats to Ukraine’s maritime security.” 

Ukraine’s maritime security objectives include an increase in the capacity of its Navy and Maritime Guard, the occupation of its occupied coastal and maritime zones, and the desire to ensure the sovereignty of its maritime spaces. 

Non-military objectives include the development of river industry, trade, and tourism as well as the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure and the restoration of its international peace zones and security zones in the Azov, Black, Mediterranean, and Baltic Seas. 

“According to the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers, together with the Security Service and the Foreign Intelligence Service, must develop and approve an action plan to implement this strategy within three months,” Militarnyi reported. 

Euromaidan noted the new strategy “provides for the creation of conditions for a temporary international military (naval) presence on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula after its de-occupation,” which might be the most worrying aspect of the strategy. 

How Ukraine's new strategy will affect the ongoing war in the country is not yet known, but as the objectives of the new strategy are fleshed out by the government over the next three months, it's likely the world will see Ukraine become even more aggressive on the high seas. 

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