Ukraine’s Corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa advances in trials, enhancing NATO-standard naval integration

Ukrainian Navy Spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk says the first Ada-class corvette for the Ukrainian Navy, Hetman Ivan Mazepa, continues undergoing trials after being laid down several years ago.

Named after Ivan Mazepa, a prominent Ukrainian Cossack leader who sought greater autonomy for Ukraine in the early 18th century, the ship is a significant addition to the Ukrainian Navy. The construction of the corvette is part of a broader military cooperation agreement between Ukraine and Türkiye. As Ukraine continues to navigate challenges posed by external threats, this vessel represents a step towards modernizing its naval forces and reinforcing its maritime security.

“Developing naval forces is a long process, especially when dealing with new types of equipment and service models that are unfamiliar to us. These are fully NATO-standard systems, which come with different requirements,” Pletenchuk noted.

He explained that the Navy is currently undergoing reorganization and preparing crews for such vessels.

“The crew for such a ship consists of hundreds of people who must work as a cohesive team,” the Ukrainian spokesperson emphasized, adding that training such a team is a lengthy process.

For the Hetman Ivan Mazepa, preparation began by overcoming language barriers—sailors need to know English to continue their training. These crews are now being trained abroad. While Pletenchuk did not specify the countries, he highlighted that key partners include the UK and Norway.

“These countries have always openly supported us, providing ships and other assistance. Of course, many other nations help as well. We hope our naval coalition will continue to grow, enabling even greater collaboration. For example, two of our ships are currently basing in Scotland,” he said, referring to minehunters.

A division of mine countermeasure vessels is already forming and will be expanded with these ships.

“That means – at least five mine countermeasure ships, which is quite significant given the threats posed by Black Sea mines,” Pletenchuk explained.

The first Ada-class corvette for Ukraine, Hetman Ivan Mazepa, was laid down in September 2021 in Istanbul, Türkiye, and launched on 2 October 2022. It began trials in May 2024, as per UNIAN.

The corvette is equipped with a 76mm Super Rapid naval gun, a VL MICA air defense missile system on the bow, and a naval version of the Turkish 35mm Korkut anti-aircraft system by Aselsan, mounted above the helicopter hangar.

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