Ukrainian Sea Guard

Ukrainian Sea Guard
Country	Ukraine
Type	Coast guard
Role	Coastal defense, maritime law enforcement
Part of	SBGS (2003–present)
Colors	Blue, Yellow
Anniversaries	28 May
Engagements	2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine
Commanders
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine	LTG Viktor Nazarenko
Insignia
Racing Stripe
Ensign
Penant

Ukrainian Sea Guard (Ukrainian: Морська охорона, Mors’ka Okhorona; full name Морська охорона Державної прикордонної служби України, Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine) is the coast guard service of Ukraine, subordinated to its Border Guard Service.

Sea Guard vessels bear the Морська охорона inscription on their boards.

Ukrainian Sea Guard is the local successor of the Soviet Border Troops Naval Units that have been similarly responsible for coast guard tasks. However, there were some interchanges in units, ships and personnel between Sea Guard and the Ukrainian Navy.

Service persons of the Sea Guard wear either the black uniform similar to Ukrainian Navy, but decorated with some green elements (traditional for border guard), or a common uniform of the Border Guard.

Organization

The Sea Guard operates four sea guard detachments: in Balaklava, Odessa, Izmail and Kerch; a sea guard cutters division in Mariupol; a special-purpose sea guard cutters division in Yalta; and a riverine Dnieper sea guard cutters division in Kiev. Sea guard administration is split between the Azov-Black seas regional administration in Simferopol and the Southern regional administration in Odessa.

Squads of Marine Security

• Kerch Squad of Marine Security (from the Cape of Mehanom across the strait of Kerch and the Sea of Azov to administrative border between Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions)
• Yalta Squad of Marine Security (special assignment)
• Sevastopol Squad of Marine Security (Main base in Balaklava)
• Odessa Squad of Marine Security (Southern regional administration)

Sea Guard ships

Major vessels, list is incomplete.

Class	Photo	Type	Ships	Origin	Commissioned	Note
Main warships (3 in service)
Pauk		Anti-submarine corvettes	BG-50 Hryhoriy Kuropyatnykov BG-51 Poltava BG-52 Hryhoriy Hnatenko	Soviet Union	1984 1987 1987
Fast attack crafts (23 in service)
Muravey		Patrol boats	BG-55 Halychyna	Soviet Union
Stenka		Patrol boats	BG-30 Heroyi Kerchi BG-31 Bukovyna BG-32 Donbas BG-57 Mykolaiv BG-60 Odesa BG-63 Pavlo Derzhavin	Soviet Union		Unlisted: Volyn (BG56), Zakarpattia (BG61)
Shmel		Patrol boats	BG-81 Lubny BG-82 Kaniv BG-83 Nizhyn BG-84 Izmayil	Soviet Union	1972 1971 1968 1969
Zhuk		Patrol boats	BG-100 508 BG-101 525 BG-102 Obolon BG-103 511 BG-104 512 BG-108 517 BG-110 Liubomyr BG-115 523 BG-116 Darnytsia BG-117 Vatutinets BG-118 Arabat	Soviet Union		BG 118 Arabat was one of two Sea Guard vessels destroyed/sunk on the 31st of August, 2014 by pro-Russian forces; In the case of the Arabat, by tank fire from the shore near Mariupol. Video footage shows the burning hulk remained afloat for at least a short time after the attack, but she can be considered a total loss.
Gurzuf		Patrol boats	BG-53 Lviv BG-54 Kryvyi Rih	Soviet Union	1986 1987
Grafinau		Patrol boats	BG-80 Dunai	Nazi Germany	1940
Chaika		Patrol boats	BG-01 Krym	Soviet Union	1981
Orlan		Patrol boats	BG-10	Ukraine		8 on order

Future

From 2012 to 2014 there were, plans are to build 39 small guard ships of different classes, including 6 Korall-class and 8 Orlan-class ships. From 2015 onward, there are plans to build a multipurpose guard ship, with displacement around 1000 tons, which can carry one helicopter.

External links

• (Ukrainian) Sea Guard page on the official site of Border Guard Service
• (English) Sea Guard of the State Border Service of Ukraine