Without a navy, Ukraine has sunk a third of Black Sea fleet

A Ukrainian serviceman launches a mid-range reconnaissance drone type Vector for flying over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak...I

Max Boot
© Washington Post

It hasn’t received the attention it deserves, but Ukraine’s unexpected victory in the battle of the Black Sea could be a landmark achievement in the annals of naval warfare.

Without a standing navy of its own, Ukraine has disabled at least one-third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, broken the Russian naval blockade and reopened the Black Sea to its grain exports. Ukraine’s export volumes are now approaching pre-war levels, providing a huge boon to its wartime economy.