UK to donate mine hunter drones to Ukraine

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON, UK (AA) - The UK will donate underwater minehunter drones to Ukraine to help the country clear its coastline of deadly explosives from the ongoing war, Britain announced Saturday.

The Royal Navy will send six autonomous vehicles (AV) to the Ukrainian Navy to aid its efforts to detect and locate Russian underwater mines that hinder the shipping of global grain supplies.

“Russia’s cynical attempts to hold the world’s food supply to ransom must not be allowed to succeed,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement.

“This vital equipment and training will help Ukraine make their waters safe, helping to smooth the flow of grain to the rest of the world and supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they look to defend their coastline and ports,” he added.

Ukrainian Navy personnel will be taught by the Royal Navy on how to operate the AVs. The latter are able to operate at depths of up to 100 meters (328 feet) to detect, locate, and identify mines using an array of sensors.

Three of the drones will be donated from existing stocks in the Royal Navy while another three will be procured from a defense firm.

Russia and Ukraine have heavily mined coastal waters surrounding Ukraine since Russia launched the war on Feb. 24, hindering grain shipments.

Last month, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to an agreement formulated by Türkiye and the UN that would allow the shipments to resume.