Ukraine’s flagship Hetman Sahaidachny was sunk to avoid capture by Russian troops

Valentyna Romanenko – Friday, 4 March 2022, 09:27 AM

The Hetman Sahaidachny flagship of the Ukrainian Navy has been sunk to prevent the Russian occupying forces from using it, including for sabotage.

Source: Minister of Defence Oleksiy Reznikov on Facebook, Head of the Public Relations Service of the Ukrainian Navy Command Oleh Chalyk in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Minister of Defence Oleh Reznikov said: "The commander of the flagship of the Ukrainian Navy carried out an order to sink the ship so that the Hetman Sahaidachny, which was under repair, could not be captured by the enemy. The most important thing now is to stand firm.

Head of the Public Relations Service of the Ukrainian Navy Command Oleh Chalyk said: "Hetman Sahaidachny, a frigate of the Ukrainian Navy, was undergoing a profound modernisation. It was impossible to reassemble it and restore its combat capability in a short time.

The ship’s crew continues its service and is currently engaged in protecting Ukraine from the Russian Federation."

Details: When asked by Ukrainska Pravda, the Navy press service also explained that one of the reasons for sinking the ship was that otherwise the enemy could use it for sabotage, such as blocking the harbour (as was the case during the occupation of Crimea).