United States to Build Military Stations in Berdiansk and Mariupol

The Mariupol Sea Guard Detachment presented the construction of military stations for the Sea Guard units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine according to NATO standards. The construction of new facilities has been launched as part of an international project to build up the maritime border security capacities.

The project aims to support the development of infrastructure and capacity of the Sea Guard units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine by the U.S. Government through the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) programme), the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation within the United States Department of State.

The practical implementation of the project envisages the construction and equipment of stations for special operations units of the Marine Guard in Berdiansk and Mariupol according to NATO standards.

“After the ship and boat units were withdrawn from Crimea, we needed to urgently build up and sometimes re-create the basing system of the Marine Guard units, in addition to development of surface lookout and surveillance system, development of special mobile units and staffing,” Rear Admiral Oleh Kostur, Head of the Regional Department of the Sea Guard, said.

The ship and boat units of the Russian Federation regularly carry out provocative actions both against civilian vessels (demands to stop and long inspections, artificial obstacles in the Kerch Strait, etc.) and against the ship and boat units of the Sea Guard and Navy of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (dangerous maneuvering, creation of navigational danger, obstruction of movement along recommended routes, the direction of beams of indefinite type towards the ships which are on duty at sea, etc.).

Given this situation, there is an urgent need to have a well-prepared, equipped unit that will be able to respond quickly and get involved in a certain situation at sea within minutes.

“Russian aggression, especially at sea, poses a serious threat to Ukraine both from military and economical perspectives. Therefore, the activities of the Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service are critical. Ensuring its appropriate logistical and training capabilities, which our project on equipment and training of units provides for, will allow Ukraine to comply with international maritime law on its territory and, accordingly, to ensure the activities of the maritime sector of the economy. After all, Ukraine’s maritime security is an integral part of the world’s maritime security,” said Kevin Keller, Adviser on Maritime Affairs at the U.S. Embassy.

The total estimated cost of the project is $4 million. The final date of implementation is June 2021.

Natalia Tolub