Article Posted on : - Nov 04, 2010

Ukraine’s only submarine ‘Zaporizhzhia’

MOSCOW (BNS): Ukraine’s only submarine ‘Zaporizhzhia’ which has been undergoing repairs for almost ten years is expected to enter service in 2011, according to the Defence Ministry.

RADM Yury Ilyin, Ukrainian Navy Deputy Commander was quoted as saying that Zaporizhzhia will start mooring trials in December and sea trials in May 2011 after which it will join Ukraine's naval forces.

The submarine was launched in Leningrad in 1970. Until 1990 it had been with the USSR Navy. Ukraine received the submarine during the division of the Black Sea Fleet after the USSR collapse. It has been repaired since 1991, media reports said.