On July 5, Ukraine celebrated Navy Day. At the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion in February and March 2022, Ukrainian sailors played a crucial role in the country's defense.

As it prepared for its aggression against Ukraine, russia concentrated substantial naval forces in the Black Sea, including more than a dozen large landing ships. All indications suggested that russia was planning to launch a major amphibious assault on Ukraine's coastline. However, despite being heavily outnumbered at sea, the Ukrainian Navy organized its defenses so effectively that russia, despite its overwhelming naval superiority, never dared to carry out such an operation.

Shortly afterward, a precision strike using Neptune anti-ship missiles sent the flagship of russia's Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva, to the bottom. Soon after, Ukrainian sailors, together with other units of Ukraine's Defense Forces, forced the russian invaders to withdraw from Ukraine's Snake Island. Subsequent attacks by Ukrainian naval drones and missile strikes compelled russia to abandon the western part of the Black Sea altogether and relocate the remaining ships of its fleet to the port of Novorossiysk.

This made it possible to restore commercial shipping in the western Black Sea by opening the so-called Grain Corridor, through which Ukraine exports its agricultural products by sea.

Today, the Ukrainian Navy is a powerful and multifaceted fighting force. Its personnel are doing everything possible to keep the sea safe and ensure the continued operation of the Grain Corridor. Naval aviation, coastal missile units, and artillery regularly deliver precision strikes against the enemy. Combat divers and special operations units carry out highly complex missions that often remain unknown to the general public. Ukrainian marines continue to fight in some of the fiercest sectors of the front. Many foreign volunteers serve in the ranks of the Ukrainian Marine Corps, where they have demonstrated outstanding combat skills and earned the deep respect of the Ukrainian people.

"I thank all our sailors, marines, ship crews, coastal units, and everyone serving in the Navy," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address marking the occasion. "Thanks to your courage, Ukraine continues to maintain control over its maritime domain, our southern regions remain protected from russian attacks, and the marines, together with other units of Ukraine's Defense Forces, continue to hold back the enemy in the most difficult sectors of the front. The Ukrainian Navy has shown the world that strength is not always measured by the number of ships or the amount of resources. Professionalism, determination, and devotion to one's country have achieved results of which all Ukrainians can be proud."

"Ukraine has always been, is, and always will be a maritime nation," Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa said on the occasion of the holiday. "We prove this not merely with words, but with the strength of our weapons and our character. We have come a long way—from the first days of the Navy's formation to today's high-tech capabilities. We are now confidently building a new generation of the Ukrainian fleet—modern, fast, and innovative."

Ukraine's naval traditions stretch back many centuries. As early as the ninth and tenth centuries, the warriors of the Kyivan princes launched naval expeditions against Constantinople. Later, the Ukrainian Zaporizhian Cossacks challenged the mighty Ottoman Empire at sea… Today's Ukrainian sailors honor the legacy of their predecessors while adding new glorious victories of their own.