UK donating undersea minehunter drones to help Ukraine clear coastline

It comes as Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to increase by 137,000 troops from next year

Dozens of Ukrainian personnel will be taught to use the autonomous minehunting vehicles by the Royal Navy (Ministry of Defence )

The UK has donated underwater drones to Ukraine to help clear coastline mines.

Six autonomous minehunting vehicles will be sent to the country to help detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast. Three of these will be provided from UK stocks, with a further three to be purchased from industry.

The lightweight autonomous vehicle is designed for use in shallow coastal environments, operating effectively at depths of up to 100m to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors so the Ukrainian Navy can destroy them.

It comes as Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to increase by 137,000 troops from next year as Moscow’s invasion in Ukraine passed the six-month mark.

The Russian president’s decree did not explain whether the military will increase its ranks by drafting a bigger number of conscripts, taking more volunteer soldiers or using a combination of both.

Dozens of Ukrainian Navy personnel will be taught to use the drones over the coming months, with the first tranche having already begun their training.

Russia has been weaponising food by destroying Ukrainian agriculture and blockading the country’s Black Sea ports to prevent exports, with devastating consequences for the world’s poorest people as food prices rise.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia’s attempts to “hold the world’s food supply to ransom” must be stopped.

Six autonomous minehunting vehicles will be sent to the country to help detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast. (Ministry of Defence)

“This vital equipment and training will help Ukraine make their waters safe, helping to smooth the flow of grain to the rest of the world and supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they look to defend their coastline and ports,” Mr Wallace said.

A small number of ships carrying grain have left Ukraine since the UN brokered a deal in July to allow food exports, but efforts to get food out of the country continue to be hampered by sea mines left by Russian forces along Ukraine’s coast.

Admiral Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, said the donation is “another powerful demonstration” of the UK’s commitment to Ukraine.

Captain Ben Vickery Royal Navy, Captain of Royal Navy Diving and Mine Warfare added: “The Ukrainian personnel have been fantastic, and it is a pleasure to be working with them and helping them in their struggle to defend their homeland against the aggression they are currently suffering.

“I am hugely proud of them, and the Royal Navy Clearance Divers and Mine Warfare specialists delivering the training, standing shoulder to shoulder – stronger together to achieve this vital training mission driven by our shared values and a common bond.”