Five Ukrainian minehunters have completed seven days of training in the eastern Solent alongside Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless, preparing for mine countermeasures operations in Ukrainian waters.
The five Ukrainian minehunters are based in Portsmouth as part of the UK’s support to Ukraine. The vesselas are: Henichesk, Mariupol, Melitopol, Chernihiv and Cherkasy.
They completed seven days of training, including gunnery exercises, destroying practice mines, and sailing in close formation with HMS Dauntless.
Spread along the Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight coastlines, the training was the final chapter of a larger exercise intended to refine the military response of Joint Expeditionary Force nations to protect Europe’s northern flank, Exercise Lion Protector.
The UK Commando Force trained in the Faroe Islands as part of the exercise, marking the first Royal Marines deployment to the islands since World War II. The training focused on protecting the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) Gap.
Under the supervision of UK military personnel, the Ukrainian vessels conducted gunnery exercises off Portland.
The training then focused on mine countermeasures, with Ukrainian crews practicing how to locate, identify and, when necessary, neutralize underwater explosive devices using the Seafox remotely operated vehicle. The system has been used by the Royal Navy for minehunting for approximately two decades.
Crews aboard two Ukrainian vessels, Chernihiv and Cherkasy, conducted live firings of their Seafox systems, followed by controlled detonations to neutralize simulated mine threats.
The final phase of Lion Protector focused on the ability of Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) navies to protect maritime infrastructure and maintain the security of sea lanes.
The exercise concluded with the Ukrainian vessels maneuvering as a task group alongside HMS Dauntless. The Royal Navy destroyer is preparing to escort the UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales during the next phase of its Firecrest 2026 deployment to the High North.
Lion Protector followed Sea Breeze, the Ukrainian Navy’s annual exercise held off the UK’s south coast over the summer, in terms of scope and complexity, according to the Royal Navy.