Ukraine would win war faster if it could fire British weapons into Russia, head of navy says
Ukraine would win the war faster if it had permission to fire British and other Western weapons against targets deep inside Russia, the head of the Ukrainian navy has signalled.
Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa told Sky News the course of the entire conflict would have been very different had Ukrainian forces been allowed to use western munitions without restrictions from the very beginning.
The UK, US and other allies only agreed to start giving Ukraine longer-range missiles last year. Ukrainian forces have used them to hit targets in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine but not deep inside Russia amid concerns about escalation.
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In a wide-ranging interview, the Ukrainian commander also said his navy would gladly take charge of two British warships the Royal Navy may reportedly have to retire early because of a shortage of sailors amid a recruitment crisis.
“We must have the capabilities to make sure that Russia will give up forever the thought of even looking in Ukraine’s direction, including at sea,” Vice Admiral Neizhpapa said.
Despite limited naval assets, the Ukrainian armed forces – supported by the UK and other allies – have been conducting a David versus Goliath-style operation against Russia’s much larger Black Sea Fleet in and around occupied Crimea, destroying ships, infrastructure and even taking out a submarine.
A one-fingered salute to Russian flagship
Souvenirs of the sea war decorate a room at a secret location in Odesa, southern Ukraine, where the admiral gave his interview earlier this month.
Displayed in one corner is the lid of a tube of a Ukrainian missile used to sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion.
The lid of a tube of a Ukrainian missile used to sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet
The attack on the Moskva on 14 April 2022 remains one of Ukraine’s most iconic triumphs.
Painted on one side of the lid is an image of the Russian ship in flames with a Ukrainian commando standing in the foreground giving it a one-fingered salute.
The sinking of the Moskva “achieved a military goal, but also a political one”, said Vice Admiral Neizhpapa, proudly holding the unusual piece of artwork, which is about the size of a very large plate.
“At that moment, Ukraine understood that Moscow can be defeated.”
An image of the Moskva missile cruiser was shared widely online
A second photo of the Moskva emerged online
Another piece of history is mounted on a wall in a wooden frame, encased by glass.
It contains the arming pin for a British Storm Shadow missile fired from a Ukrainian Su-24 bomber aircraft against Russia’s naval headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea on 22 September 2023 – another landmark strike.
The arming pin for a British missile fired at Russia’s naval headquarters in the port city of Sevastopol
The aftermath of the attack
‘More than two dozen Russian vessels destroyed’
Very little is known in public about the secret operations conducted by Ukraine’s military, with support from western allies, against the Russian navy, but they involve a range of different modes of attack, including underwater drones, western missiles and even jet skis.
“Our successes during 2022 and 2023 were a result of difficult but innovative decisions, which did not exist before,” the naval commander said.
Ukraine is believed to have destroyed more than two dozen Russian vessels, forcing Moscow to pull back a number of warships from Crimea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The action has made it harder for Russia to enforce a naval blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, imposed to reduce Kyiv’s ability to export grain.
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Fire and smoke across Sevastopol
Previous attack methods may no longer work, admiral warns
The admiral said the sea war has two goals – to stop the Russian navy from being able to attack Ukraine and to enable ships to access Ukrainian ports.
But with the full-scale invasion about the enter its third year, he warned previous methods of attack may no longer work.
“The enemy is adapting, and we must also adapt. A modern war is a war of technologies. Whoever wins in the technological sense will have victory,” he said.
Smoke rises from a shipyard hit by a Ukrainian missile attack in Sevastopol
‘Putin behaves like a small-scale gangster’
Something that could help Ukraine would be the ability to use long-range western weapons, such as Britain’s Storm Shadow missile or American ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems), against military targets inside Russia.
Asked whether he believed Ukraine could win the war faster if given such permission, the commander said: “Of course, the sooner the armed forces have the necessary battle capabilities and certain capabilities to destroy the enemy’s infrastructure facilities, the sooner we will win.”
He added: “As a military man, I will say the following: the enemy, knowing the battle capabilities of [our] armed forces, reacts accordingly to our actions. Therefore, of course, if we had limitless capabilities, believe me, the war would have played out totally differently.
“If Ukraine had certain types of long-range weapons which can be used deeper at the enemy territory, of course, the enemy would have behaved differently, including on the battlefield.
“Putin behaves like a small-scale gangster who knows that if he is matched blow for blow, he will not start a fight… If he understands that Ukraine can fight back and make him really feel pain, of course, he will give all this up. This is all.”
‘The navy needs warships’
Western allies have – according to public comments made by military and political leaders – restricted the use of their weapons to within Ukraine and Russian-held Ukrainian territory because of concern about igniting a direct war between Moscow and the West, even though Russian forces launch strikes against Ukrainian troops from locations across Russia.
As well as giving missiles, British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps revealed in December that two Royal Navy minehunter ships would be transferred to the Ukrainian navy, though the ships will not be able to enter Ukrainian ports until the war ends because of restricted access to the Black Sea.
Britain is also reportedly considering retiring two Type 23 frigates because of a shortage of sailors.
Asked whether his navy would be interested in HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll if that did happen, Vice Admiral Neizhpapa said: “Of course, the Navy needs warships, because we understand that there is no navy without ships. This is why, if such a decision is taken, concerning the possibility of handing over two frigates to the [Ukrainian] Navy, we will be very happy.”
World
‘Better late than never’: Palestinian minister says UK recognition of state would be ‘courageous step’
Britain will be taking “a courageous step at a very difficult time” by officially recognising a Palestinian state, according to the authority’s foreign minister, who told Sky News she believes the announcement – expected in the coming days – will inspire more nations to follow suit.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister, Varsen Aghabekian, told me Britain’s move was “better late than never”, and said “Britain, with its weight, can influence other countries to come forward and recognise, because that is the right thing to do”.
But she also said she is “very angry” with the White House over its “unwavering support” for Israel, and said that Israel’s refusal to pass on tax revenue was pushing Palestinian civil society to the brink of “collapse”.
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Could recognition of Palestine change the West Bank?
Aghabekian was speaking as Britain, along with France, Canada and Australia, prepares to recognise the State of Palestine officially at the United Nations.
She told me: “Britain has been supporting the existence and the flourishing of Israel for some time, but I think today Britain is looking at the matter objectively, in terms of the right of people, in terms of complying with international law, and in terms of the future of this area for both the Israelis and Palestinians.”
She rejected the idea that recognising Palestine was a reward for Hamas terrorism, saying that “non-recognition” would also be a “reward to the extremists” and said that “if we wait until Israel decides it wants to go into negotiations with the Palestinians, then it won’t happen”.
Aghabekian told me she expected Gaza to be returned to the Palestinians, but I put it to her that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being empowered by the diplomatic support he receives from America, and in particular, US President Donald Trump.
So is she angry with the White House? “Very angry, because I expect the White House and the United States of America to align with international law, with human rights, with having no double standards.
“This unwavering support for Israel, this blind support, is not only harming the Palestinians but also Israeli society.”
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The state of Palestine is already recognised by three-quarters of the United Nations’ members. It comprises two separate territories – the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Together, they are officially known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The West Bank has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, while Gaza has been attacked by Israel since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, when nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza as Israel has sought to destroy Hamas and recover its hostages. There are 48 hostages still in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.
She confirmed to me that Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, “has given guarantees in letters to various leaders around the globe that said Hamas will not be part of the governance of the Gaza Strip” and insisted there was “probably a worldwide consensus” on the topic.
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How has UK responded to Israel-Gaza conflict?
But she also insisted it was “not reasonable” to talk of completely erasing Hamas: “Hamas is an ideology, not a building that you bring down. Hamas is in people’s minds; in their heads.
“Those who support Hamas need to see a future, need to see something that is moving on the political level, need to see that there might be a state in which their children and their grandchildren might prosper.
“What people see today, whether they are Hamas supporters or not, they see darkness and they see destruction all over. They see violation of rights. They are helpless and hopeless. People need to see things are moving forward, and once that happens, there will be a shift in the mood, and they will look for a better future.”
But just as the Palestinians prepare to welcome recognition, Aghabekian said the West Bank was facing financial collapse as Israel continues to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue that, under a 30-year-old agreement, it collects on the Palestinian Authority’s behalf.
Israel has retained a proportion of the money since the start of the war in Gaza, but, encouraged by finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, it has recently withheld a much higher amount.
“People have not been paid, civil servants are only receiving small parts of their salaries. We can’t buy medical supplies, equipment, you name it,” said Aghabekian.
“How can a government run a country under such conditions? So yes, we are very worried.”
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