British-trained Ukrainian crews hone their mine-clearing and gunnery skills off Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as Exercise Lion Protector draws to a close.
In the eastern Solent, five Ukrainian minehunters gathered around the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless as they completed their latest round of training to prepare them to protect their home waters.
The five ships are based in Portsmouth as part of Britain’s support to Ukraine in its continuing struggle against Russia. They have just finished seven days of intensive training under the guidance of UK military personnel, covering everything from gunnery and destroying practice mines to sailing in close formation with a major warship.
The ships are UNS Henichesk, Mariupol, Melitopol, Chernihiv and Cherkasy.
Britain at the heart of northern European security
The training took place along the Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight coasts. It formed the final chapter of Exercise Lion Protector, a larger exercise that ran from August until last weekend. Lion Protector was designed to sharpen how Joint Expeditionary Force nations respond together to protect Europe’s northern flank.
Earlier phases saw the UK Commando Force train in the Faroe Islands to help secure the critical Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap. It was the first time Royal Marines had been to the Atlantic island chain since the Second World War.
The fifth and final phase turned to the sea. It focused on showing that JEF navies can protect vital maritime infrastructure and keep sea lanes secure, with the five Ukrainian vessels at its centre.
In scope and complexity, Lion Protector was second only to Sea Breeze, the Ukrainian Navy’s premier annual exercise, which took place off England’s South Coast over the summer.
Hunting mines the British way
The Ukrainian ships began with gunnery shoots off Portland to prove they could defend themselves.
They then moved on to minehunting, practising how to locate, identify and, where necessary, destroy underwater explosive devices. For this they used the Seafox remotely operated submersible, a mainstay of Royal Navy minehunting for around two decades.
The crews of Chernihiv and Cherkasy carried out live Seafox firings, ending in controlled explosions that neutralised the practice mine “threats.”
Sailing alongside the Royal Navy
To close the exercise, the minehunters showed they could manoeuvre safely as a small task group alongside a major warship. HMS Dauntless played that role.
Dauntless is preparing to escort the UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales when the carrier resumes its Firecrest 2026 deployment to the High North.
From the Solent to the Faroes, Britain is training its allies, guarding the seas and standing firmly with Ukraine.
Main Image: MOD Crown Copyright News / Editorial Licence.
