Azov naval base (Ukraine)
# Azov naval base (Ukraine)

Azov Naval Base was the new naval base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located in Berdiansk along the northern coast of the Azov Sea. The city and the base were captured by Russian forces on 27 February 2022 during the Southern Ukraine campaign, part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

## Base History

On September 11, 2018, Ukraine's Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yuri Lavrenyuk said that the first Gurza-M small armored artillery boat was deployed in the Sea of Azov.

On September 20, 2018, the Ukrainian military portal informed that A500 Donbas search and rescue vessel and A830 Korets seagoing tug left the western naval base of the Ukrainian Navy in Odesa in the direction of Berdiansk, where they would form the basis of the newly created naval base of the Ukrainian fleet on the Sea of Azov.

Following the 2018 Kerch Strait incident one tug and two artillery patrol boats were grabbed by the Russian Armed Forces, which also detained Ukrainian service members. In the summer of 2019, Russia exchanged Ukrainian sailors for a suspect connected with downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) and in the fall of same year Russia returned Ukrainian boats before revival of international negotiations in the Normandie format framework.

## List of assigned vessels

| № | Name | Project | Launch date | Commission date | Type | Displacement | Status |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| P186 (formerly A830) (formerly U830) | Korets | 745 Sorum-type patrol vessel (formerly seagoing tug) | Built in 1973 (launch date unknown) | 1973 | Patrol vessel (formerly seagoing tug) | 1452 ton | Captured by Russia |
| P174 (U174) | «Akkerman» | 58155 «Gurza-M» | 2015 | 2016 | Armored artillery boat | 54 ton | Captured by Russia |
| P175 (U175) | Berdyansk | 58155 «Gurza-M» | 2017 | 2018 | Armored artillery boat | 54 ton | Returned by Russia; redeployed west of the Kerch strait |
| P176 (U176) | Nikopol | 58155 «Gurza-M» | 2017 | 2018 | Armored artillery boat | 54 ton | Returned by Russia; redeployed west of the Kerch strait |
| P177 (U177) | «Kremenchuk» | 58155 «Gurza-M» | 2017 | 2018 | Armored artillery boat | 54 ton | Captured by Russia |
| P178 (U178) | «Lubny (ship) [uk]» | 58155 «Gurza-M» | 2017 | 2018 | Armored artillery boat | 54 ton | Sunk, and then raised, by Russia |
| P179 (U179) | «Vysshorod» | 58155 «Gurza-M» | 2017 | 2018 | Armored artillery boat | 54 ton | Captured by Russia |
| А500 (U500) | Donbas | 304 Amur | 1969 | 1997 | Command/search and rescue ship | 5520 ton | Sunk by Russia |
| A947 (U947) | Yañı Qapı | 498 Prometey-type seagoing tug | 1974 | 1974 | Seagoing tug | 303 ton | Returned by Russia; redeployed west of the Kerch strait |
| | Dmitry Chubar | 1462 Ruben-type hydrographic boat | Built in 1985 (launch date unknown) | 1985 | Hydrographic boat | 148 ton | Most likely captured or destroyed by Russia |
