With mosquitoes against the bear

Interview with the former Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Igor Kabanenko, by Hans Uwe Mergener and Holger Schlüter.

Can you give us an insight into the current state of the Ukrainian navy? How do you see its future?

Ukraine's naval forces entered the war when the strategy for the development of Ukraine's naval forces by 2035, which was adopted in 2018, was just beginning to be implemented, i.e. during a transitional period. A key part of this strategy included the creation of so-called Mosquito capabilities, i.e. a fleet of small, fast and highly manoeuvrable manned combat platforms. Let me take this opportunity,