The Ukrainian Navy for the first time received the right to command NATO forces during mine countermeasures operations

For the first time in history, the Ukrainian Navy has been granted the right to command NATO multinational forces during mine countermeasures operations at sea.

This was reported to the Navy.

During the Ukrainian-American Sea Breeze 2026 exercises, the mine countermeasures headquarters of the first division of mine countermeasure ships of the Navy was successfully assessed according to NATO standards, the division received the highest rating — Mission Capable ("Fully capable of performing missions").

Thanks to this, the Ukrainian unit was officially included in the NATO maritime mine countermeasures command system. From now on, Ukraine can command multinational forces, interact at the level of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group, and perform all tasks to combat sea mines.

The Navy noted that preparation for Mission Capable status lasted three years. After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian sailors implemented NATO standards and underwent training.

• In February, the Wall Street Journal reported that during a NATO military exercise, Ukrainian fighters, who were playing the role of the enemy, effectively defeated the Alliance troops with the help of drones. This was a shock to Western militaries and showed that NATO was unprepared for modern warfare.

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