The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) to 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) wide and up to 18 metres (59 ft) deep. The most important harbor, the Crimean city of Kerch, gives its name to the strait, formerly known as the Cimmerian Bosporus or Straits of Taman. It has also been called the Straits of Yenikale after the Yeni-Kale fortress in Kerch.
The Black Sea Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimean Peninsula, are subordinate to the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. The fleet traces its history to its founding by Prince Potemkin on 13 May 1783 as part of the Imperial Russian Navy. The Russian SFSR inherited the fleet in 1918; with the founding of the Soviet Union in 1922, it became part of the Soviet Navy. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Black Sea Fleet was partitioned between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in 1997, with Russia receiving title to 82% of the vessels.
The Ukrainian Navy is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the eight service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Ropucha class, Soviet designation Project 775, is a class of landing ship built in Poland for the Soviet Navy. The ships were built in the Stocznia Północna shipyards in Gdańsk, Poland. They were designed for beach landings, and can carry 450 tons of cargo. The ships have both bow and stern doors for loading and unloading vehicles, and the 630 square metres (6,800 sq ft) of vehicle deck stretch the length of the hull. Up to 25 armored personnel carriers can be embarked.
The Ondatra class Soviet designation Project 1176 Akula ("shark") is a class of landing craft built for the Soviet Navy and Russian Navy between 1971 and 2009.
Donbas was a Project 304 former Soviet repair ship that was converted to a command ship of the Ukrainian Navy's 9th Division. She was built on Szczecin Shipyard in Poland in 1969 for the Soviet Navy and entitled PM-9. "PM" is a Russian abbreviation for a repair ship, and literally means a floating repair shop. Donbas was destroyed during the Siege of Mariupol as a part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Project 22160 is a series of large patrol ships being constructed for the Russian Navy. The vessels are primarily intended for duties such as patrol, monitoring and protection in open and closed seas. The first ship was laid down in February 2014 and joined the Russian Navy in December 2018. By January 2018, six ships were under construction. Between 2017 and 2022, four ships had been launched.
The Project 58155 Gyurza-M class is a series of small armored gunboats in service with the Ukrainian Navy. The first two vessels were laid down at the Kuznia na Rybalskomu shipbuilding plant in October 2012. Originally it was planned to build nine such vessels by 2017. In December 2013 the Ministry of Defence withdrew its contract. The class is named after the Levant viper, Гюрза, Hiurza, in Ukrainian.
The Kerch Strait incident was an international incident that occurred on 25 November 2018 in the Kerch Strait, during which the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) coast guard fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels after they attempted to transit from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the strait on their way to the port of Mariupol. It was the first time that Russian forces had openly engaged Ukrainian forces during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
A dispute over Tuzla Island in the Kerch Strait arose between Russia and Ukraine in 2003, sparked by unannounced Russian construction of a causeway from their side of the strait toward the island, which is Ukrainian territory. Russians offered various reasons for building the causeway, but Ukraine saw it as a threat to their territorial integrity. The dispute raised fears of an armed confrontation, but a settlement was negotiated.
Beginning in July 2022, a series of explosions and fires occurred on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, from where the Russian Army had launched its offensive on Southern Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Occupied since 2014, Crimea was a base for the subsequent Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast and Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
MAGURA V5 is a Ukrainian multi-purpose unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developed for use by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) capable of performing various tasks: surveillance, reconnaissance, patrolling, search and rescue, mine countermeasures, maritime security, and combat missions.
Sergey Kotov was a Project 22160 patrol ship of the Russian Navy. She was attacked in the Black Sea by Ukrainian forces using MAGURA V5 maritime drones on 5 March 2024, and Ukrainian intelligence claimed the ship was sunk.
1st Naval Guard and Patrol Division formerly known as 1st Security and Support Division is a division of the Ukrainian Navy, established in 1997 it is concerned with the defense of Ukrainian coast and guarding of the installations of the Ukrainian Navy. It is garrisoned at the Western Naval Base and currently comprises several gunboats, a control ship and an anti-sabotage ship.
31st Supply Ships Division is a logistical division of the Ukrainian Navy concerned with providing logistical and technical support to other divisions of the Ukrainian Navy. It is based at the Western Naval Base and was established in 2018 by the splitting of the 8th Security and Support Division.
385th Unmanned Surface Vehicles Brigade is a Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces. It was established in August 2023 as a part of Ukrainian Navy operated by USV operatives from GUR and SBU. It is the world's first and currently, the only military unit dedicated to the operation of Unmanned Surface Vehicles.
