A launching ceremony has been held in İstanbul for a newly built anti-submarine warship for the Ukrainian Navy with the attendance of the Ukrainian defense minister, the country’s first lady and several other high-ranking officials, according to a statement from the Ukrainian defense ministry.
The ministry announced on its X account on Friday that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, attended the launching ceremony of the Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi at İstanbul’s Tuzla Shipyards.
Minister @rustem_umerov and the First Lady of Ukraine @ZelenskaUA took part in the launching of the Ukrainian corvette "Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi".
It's the second Ada type corvette, manufactured in 🇹🇷. "Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi" and "Hetman Ivan Mazepa" are equipped with cutting-edge… pic.twitter.com/Ffe7cJqa42
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) August 2, 2024
Ukrainian vice Adm. Oleksiy Neizhpapa and Turkish businessman Haluk Bayraktar, who is the CEO of Turkey’s top drone manufacturer Baykar, were also among the ceremony’s attendees.
This is the second warship built by Turkey for Ukraine since the start of Russian aggression in February 2022.
Defense Minister Umerov said the newly launched warship will help improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy against Russia with its use of advanced weapons.
“Corvettes Hetman Ivan Vyhovskyi and [previously launched] Hetman Ivan Mazepa, which were built in Turkey due to Russian aggression, are equipped with cutting-edge weapons and will become a significant addition to our fleet. … Ukraine has already broken the dominance of the Russian fleet at sea, destroying dozens of ships. We are actively expanding the capabilities of the Ukrainian navy in the Black and Azov seas,” Umerov said.
First lady Zelenska also expressed her gratitude to the Turkish partners, the commander of the navy and the entire diplomatic team of Ukraine for strengthening the defensive capabilities of their country.
“We understand the importance of security better than anyone. This corvette will ensure the safety of our shared region, the common sea of our countries. We are defending not only ourselves but also the very principle of peaceful coexistence for everyone. Thus, this ship is another step on this path,” Zelenska said at the ceremony, according to the Ukrainian president’s office.
The first ship, Hetman Ivan Mazepa, launched in October 2022, is still in Turkey undergoing sea trials.
The construction of these ships is part of a framework agreement concluded between Ukraine and Turkey at the end of 2020.
It is unclear when either warship will be able to reach Ukraine because the Montreux convention generally prohibits warring parties’ battleships from entering or exiting the Black Sea via the Bosporus, which Turkey controls.
NATO member Turkey has sought to balance ties between its two Black Sea neighbors, Russia and Ukraine, since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ankara has sent drones to Ukraine while not imposing Western-led sanctions on Moscow.