The Ukrainian Sea Guard ( uk, Морська охорона, Morska okhorona; full name uk, Морська охорона Державної прикордонної служби України, , Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine) is the

coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

service of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, subordinated to its Border Guard Service. The Sea Guard is the local successor of the

Soviet Border Troops The Soviet Border Troops (russian: Пограничные войска СССР, Pogranichnyye voyska SSSR) were the border guard of the Soviet Union, subordinated to the Soviet state security agency: first to the ''Cheka''/State Political Di ...

Naval Units that were similarly responsible for coast guard tasks. However, there were some interchanges in units, ships and personnel between the Sea Guard and the

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Arme ...

. Service personnel of the Sea Guard wear either a black uniform similar to the Ukrainian Navy, but decorated with some green elements (traditional for border guard), or a common uniform of the Border Guard Service. Sea Guard vessels bear the ''Морська охорона'' inscription on their boards.

Organization

The Sea Guard operates four sea guard detachments: in

Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crim ...

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Izmail Izmail (, , translit. ''Izmail,'' formerly Тучков ("Tuchkov"); ro, Ismail or ''Smil''; pl, Izmaił, bg, Исмаил) is a city and municipality on the Danube river in Odesa Oblast in south-western Ukraine. It serves as the administra ...

and

Kerch Kerch ( uk, Керч; russian: Керчь, ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: , ''Pantikápaion''; Medieval Greek: ''Bosporos''; crh, , ; tr, Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of t ...

; a sea guard cutters division in

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian i ...

; a special-purpose sea guard cutters division in

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...

; and a riverine

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

sea guard cutters division in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

. Sea guard administration is split between the Azov-Black seas regional administration in

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, ...

and the Southern regional administration in Odessa.

Squads of Marine Security

* Kerch Squad of Marine Security (from the Cape of Mehanom across the

strait of Kerch The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from ...

and the

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...

to administrative border between Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions) * Yalta Squad of Marine Security (special assignment) * Sevastopol Squad of Marine Security (Main base in

) * Odessa Squad of Marine Security (Southern regional administration)

Battle fleet

Major vessels.

Prospective additions

Decommissioned, sold, destroyed, captured

Future

From 2012 to 2014 there were plans to build 39 small guard ships of different classes, including 6 Koral-class and 8 Orlan-class vessels. From 2015 onward, there are plans to build a multipurpose guard ship, with displacement around 1000 tons, which can carry one helicopter.

Notes

References

External links

Sea Guard page on the official site of Border Guard Service

Sea Guard of the State Border Service of Ukraine
{{Coast guards State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Coast guards