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Snake Island: A Naval Boat in the Dnipro River. It’s like a Knife to the Heart of the World, says James Foggo
I can always find a job. He said that he can always find another vessel. I can’t find another motherland. I have one country in my collection. So right here, right now, is the best place to be.” It wouldn’t hurt if Ukraine got bigger boats.
GREG Myre is reporting on a Ukrainian naval boat in the Dnipro River. It’s only 34 feet long, and it carries a few sailors, but it has a lot going for it.
MYRE: Since then, Russia’s navy has been wary of getting too close to the coast and Ukrainian missile range. This caution created enough space for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to venture out recently to Snake Island, a tiny outpost 20 miles off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. Zelenskyy made the risky trip in a small inflatable boat, his only apparent protection a couple of other small inflatable boats.
Ukraine is going against the tide as it tries to rebuild a naval force in the middle of a war. The challenges include guarding against Russian sea-launched missile strikes, ensuring the safe passage of Ukrainian wheat and corn to world markets, and so on.
“Imagine a presidential order to the commander in chief to destroy the flagship of the Ukrainian navy, that’s like a knife to the heart,” said Foggo. “That must have been really, really tough.”
Myre is what you call it. It is hard to believe but the Russian and Ukrainian naval fleets had been next to each other since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The following year, 2015, Foggo went to Ukraine for NATO Ukrainian naval exercises in Odessa, Ukraine’s other big Black Sea port.
As one of the world’s leading grain exporters, Ukraine helps feed countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Grain prices are on the rise as Ukraine’s exports are off the market. “The Russians have threatened to sink these civilian bulk carriers. James Foggo, a retired U.S. admiral, is the head of the Center for Maritime Strategy.
OLEKSIY NEIZHPAPA: (Through interpreter) We have to get rid of Russia’s control. The sea is free for everyone. And we will make it so as it should be – free for all countries.
On the Dnipro River off of Kyiv there is a glimpse of the rebuilding efforts. The navy invited an NPR reporter for a ride on a river patrol boat, one of about a dozen provided by the U.S. last year.
“We have machine guns. We have a grenade gun. It’s very maneuverable. Mykhailo, one of the naval officers on board, said it’s vicious when it comes to some assault operations. Like most military members, he gives just one name.
He said that this is one of the classic river patrol boats that you have seen in the movies. Think of the apocalypse. Now with an updated maritime look.
“We tried to assist the Ukrainians with rebuilding their navy,” he said. It was a lot of work. It was a huge exercise with lots of partners and allies until 2020.
A Video of Zelenskyy in a Small Boat: “A small piece of land that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory”
Zelenskyy traveled in a small inflatable boat. Based on video he posted, his only apparent protection was a couple of other small inflatable boats.
“Although this is a small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea, it is great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory,” Zelenskyy said in a video posted on July 8.
At the start of the Russian invasion last year, the warship Moskva approached the island and demanded the surrender of a small Ukrainian force. One Ukrainian soldier told the Russians to bug off with a memorable obscenity.