Ihor Kabanenko
Ihor Kabanenko is a retired admiral with the Ukrainian Navy. From 1983 to 1990, he served in the Soviet Navy in various positions up to Commander of the ship and Chief of Staff of Missile Ships Division. Since 1993, he served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He was appointed to the positions of Chief of Operations and Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Navy, the Military Representative of Ukraine to NATO, Chief of Operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the First Deputy Chief of Defence. He retired in 2013, with the rank of Admiral. From May to August 2014, Admiral Kabanenko served as the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, and from August to October 2014—as Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for European Integration. Currently, he is the president of UA.RPA (Ukrainian Advanced Research Project Agency), which focuses on high-tech solutions and products for defense.
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Articles by Ihor Kabanenko
Western Aid Strengthens Security of Ukrainian Grain Corridor
At the Grain From Ukraine forum in Kyiv on November 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine has arranged to receive additional air defense systems from Western partners to ensure...
The Sivash: A Key Strategic Point in the Retaking of Crimea
As Russia’s war against Ukraine wages on, much discussion has focused on Ukraine’s strategy for retaking the Crimean Peninsula (Kyiv Independent, February 2; Ukrinform, March 14; Kyiv Post, April 6)....
The Ukraine Grain Agreement After Three Months: Moscow’s Blackmail, Boa Constrictor Tactics and Russian Gas
Three months ago, the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs From Ukrainian Ports (“Grain Agreement”) was signed in Istanbul, Turkey (see EDM, September 13). The deal lifted...
The Ukraine Grain Deal After 50 Days
On July 22, the Initiative on Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs From Ukrainian Ports (“Grain Agreement”) was signed in Istanbul, Turkey. The document unblocked three of Ukraine’s Black Sea...
Export of Ukrainian Grain Through Seaports: Opportunities and Risks
On July 22, Ukrainian representatives signed the Initiative on Safe Transportation of Grain and Food Products from Ukrainian Ports with Turkey and the United Nations secretary-general in Istanbul (Pravda.com.ua, July...
The Bystre Canal Across the Danube: ‘Mosquito’ Tactics in Ukraine’s Grain Shipping
On July 9, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority announced the opening of the Bystre Canal on the mouth of the Danube River for the entry and exit of vessels transporting...
Arsenal of Empire: Russian Naval Construction in Crimea and Its Implications for Black Sea Security
Executive Summary Thanks to its warmer climate compared to northern Russia, the Black Sea littoral area is much more conducive to building larger vessels quickly and free of construction defects....
Final Pieces Falling Into Place to Enable Russian Amphibious Invasion of Ukraine in Black Sea Basin
The security situation in the wider Black Sea region is quickly deteriorating and growing more dangerous. Six large, fully loaded amphibious assault ships (three from the Baltic Fleet and three...
The South-Bound Russian Landing Ship Flotilla: Possible Intentions and Implications
A group of Russian landing ships, three of which left the Baltic Sea region on January 18, preceded by another three the day before, have passed the English Channel and...
Ukraine’s New Naval Doctrine: A Revision of the Mosquito Fleet Strategy or Bureaucratic Inconsistency?
For Ukraine, which lost more than 70 percent of its naval assets after Russia’s forcible annexation of Crimea, the ability to effectively deter and adequately respond to further aggressive Russian...
Declared Russian Troops Pull Out: Did the Kremlin Achieve What It Wanted?
Russia’s long-serving minister of defense, Sergei Shoigu, announced last week (April 22) that the Russian forces massed around Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders would withdraw between April 23 and May...
Russia’s Strategy in the Sea of Azov: The Kerch Bridge, Artificial Shipping Delays and Continued Harm to Ukraine
Russia’s “hard power” activity in the Sea of Azov has increased significantly since May 2018, when the authorities officially opened the Kerch Strait Bridge they had been building since the...
Ukrainian-UK Defense Cooperation: Will London Have Kyiv’s Back?
On October 7, in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was paying an official visit to the United Kingdom, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Andriy Taran and the UK’s Secretary...
Ukraine’s New National Security Strategy: A Wide Scope With Foggy Implementation Mechanisms
On September 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the country’s new National Security Strategy, entitled “Human Security—the State’s Security” (“Bezpeka Lyudyny—Bezpeka Krayiny”) (President.gov.ua, September 14). Generally speaking, the document represents...
Mark VI for Ukraine: Key Advantages for Ukraine’s Maritime Security
The current security situation in the Black Sea region is far from stable and secure, having dramatically deteriorated due to aggressive Russian actions since 2014. Moscow has already achieved naval...
The Russia-Ukraine Tanker Incident and Signs of a Looming Black Sea Crisis
A Russian commercial tanker named Nika Spirit entered the Ukrainian port of Izmail on July 24. However, using the EQUASIS international information system, Ukraine identified the cargo ship as the...
Further Russian Militarization of the Black Sea Region: Air Domain on the Agenda
The Russian newspaper Izvestia announced, on June 19, that the country’s newest super-maneuverable fighter, the Su-35S (“Flanker-E” in the NATO classification), will soon be deployed to annexed Crimea. According to...
The Stillborn Western Naval Convoy to the Sea of Azov: Lessons Learned
On November 26, a day after Russia attacked three small Ukrainian naval vessels attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait, German Chancellor Angela Merkel received official notification about this incident...
New Naval Strategy of Ukraine to 2035: Implications and Challenges
The Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, Admiral Ihor Voronchenko, introduced the “New Strategy of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 2035” at the International...
Strategic Implications of Russia and Ukraine’s Naval Clash on November 25
Russian Coast Guard assets rammed a Ukrainian naval tugboat, on November 25, and then opened fire on it and two accompanying Gurza-class gunboats, which were sailing from Odesa to Mariupol...
Freedom of Navigation at Stake in Sea of Azov: Security Consequences for Ukraine and Wider Black Sea Region
Russia is continuing to implement its “boa constrictor strategy” in the Sea of Azov, aimed at strangling the economy of Ukraine’s littoral areas (see EDM, February 22, April 12, May...
NATO Brussels Summit: Key Outcomes and Implications for Ukrainian Interests
The Ukrainian issue was widely represented at the July 11–12 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, held in Brussels. Notably, the final Summit Declaration (Nato.int, July 11) pointedly identified Russia’s...
Russia’s ‘Boa Constrictor’ Strategy in the Sea of Azov: A Prelude to Amphibious Landings?
Russian activity in the Sea of Azov has been ramping up considerably in recent weeks. After the official opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge, on May 16 (see EDM, June...
Russian Presence in Ukrainian Inland Waterways: Ukraine’s Security Chokepoint
Last month (April 2018), Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yury Lavrenyuk appealed to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to prohibit Russian vessels from entering Ukraine’s domestic waterways because...
Russian Naval Exercises in Sea of Azov: A Prelude to ‘Hybrid’-Style Invasion?
On May 18, Moscow released a navigation alert (NAVAREA 0423/18—reprinted by the Ukrainian government as coastal warning PRIP 173) for a section of the Sea of Azov, cautioning that Russian...
‘Hybrid’ Threats from New Russian Offshore Gas Pipelines
Undoubtedly, Russia’s planned construction of new offshore natural gas pipelines, namely Nord Stream Two and Turk Stream, represents an important element in Moscow’s struggle for domination of the European gas...
Russia’s Shipbuilding Program: Postponed Blue-Water Ambitions
Russia’s shipbuilding program for 2011–2020, under which the country plans to build over 100 new warships (Military Paritet, February 7, 2012), is reportedly causing “a very bad feeling” among some...
Russian Expansion in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: Economic Consequences for Ukraine
Moscow’s appetite in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov has not decreased after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Russia has gradually advanced its presence into significant areas...
Russian ‘Hybrid War’ Tactics at Sea: Targeting Underwater Communications Cables
In the last five years, Russia has increased its underwater activity four to five times (Redstar.ru, November 8, 2017). Thirteen new Russian nuclear and conventional submarines have been commissioned since...
Ochakiv: An Important Ukrainian Outpost in the Northwestern Black Sea
Few coastal Ukrainian cities have historically suffered as many instances of destruction only to be rebuilt time and time again as Ochakiv. And today, the Ochakiv Naval Base is set...
Zapad 2017: Lessons Learned by Russia and Implications for NATO
The week-long Russian-Belarussian strategic military exercise Zapad 2017 attracted close attention in Ukraine and the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But this topic did not simply...
US Defense Secretary’s Visit to Ukraine and Perspectives for US-Ukraine Military Cooperation
Last month’s (August 24) visit of the United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis to Ukraine was the first such trip by a Pentagon head in the last ten years....
The Kerch Strait Bridge: A New Threat to Regional Stability
After illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia declared it would build a 12-mile-long road-and-rail bridge across the Kerch Strait, connecting mainland Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula. And last year...
The Growing Threat to Ukraine of Naval Mines in the Black Sea
Historically, naval mines played an important role in maritime warfare in the Black Sea. Spurred on by lessons learned during World War I and World War II, the Soviet Black...
Strategic Overview of the Russian Maritime Threat to Ukraine: Mariupol and Odesa at Stake
The Black Sea region has for centuries played a key role in Russia’s southwestern policy. In the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), Russia took the opportunity to create naval forces in Crimea....
Russian Blue Water Ambitions: Betting on Multi-Purpose Frigates
At a recent meeting of the defense ministry collegium, Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s defense minister, noted that new multi-purpose frigates, similar to the Admiral Gorshkov–class, equipped by high-precision long-range weapons, should...
Large Russian Land-Air-Sea Exercises in Crimea Highlight Vulnerabilities in Ukrainian Navy and Coastal Defense
As the month of March came to a close, Russia conducted a series of unprecedented land, air and sea drills at the “Opuk” combat training area, located near the city...
Conflict Escalates Again in Eastern Ukraine: Possible Causes and Consequences
The first quarter of 2017 was marked by a renewed escalation of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. The increased military confrontation began in the vicinity of Donetsk, at the...
The Ukrainian Navy: Conceptual Aspects and Cooperation With the West
In late February 2017, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Vice Admiral Ihor Voronchenko, in an interview with Ukrainian Channel 5, said that the country was considering procuring used combat...
Rekindled Train Wagon Debate Calls Into Question Planned Size for ‘Zapad 2017’ Exercise
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė told journalists in Riga earlier this month (February 2017), “We are worried about the Zapad 2017 exercise, during which concentrations of extremely large and aggressive forces...