The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are establishing a river flotilla on the Dnipro river.

This was stated by Navy Commander Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, ArmyInform writes.

The First Division of the future river flotilla has already assumed service in the north of the country.

The first division of river boats was created in March at the initiative and with the support of the Ground Forces Command.

Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa mentioned that the formed division is subordinated to the Kyiv Defense Forces and performs tasks in the riverside operational areas near the Dnipro River.

Part of the river fleet of Ukraine was put under military command. Basically, the river motor boats were armed, and now they belong to the Ukrainian Navy. These vessels are not new, but they show good performance on the rivers.

According to the Commander of the Navy, the importance of such a division is difficult to overestimate given its proximity to Belarus, which has a similar river division in Pinsk and a base in Loyev, at the border with Ukraine.

This regards the 19 ships of the Navy. Therefore, strengthening the north of our country at the rivers is an important step.

Training and establishing the capacities of these divisions in the shortest possible time is one of the top priorities of the Ukrainian Navy on the rivers.

“The enemy is now to the south of Dnipro, and we must have the appropriate forces and means to withstand the enemy at our main waterway. We will continue increasing our efforts not only in this direction but along the entire Dnipro River through the construction of new boats and acquiring the boats from our foreign partners. I hope that in the future, a flotilla of river motor boats will be set up on Dnipro, which will include several divisions located in different cities,” Neizhpapa said.

Navy Commander added that the Navy does not forget about the Danube and the Buh-Dnipro-Estuary Canal, where fierce is ongoing on the water.

Many small boats of both the enemy and Ukrainian forces are involved in those battles.