The 18th Marine Guard Detachment (1560) is a military unit of the Ukrainian Sea Guard of the State Border Service of Ukraine. The detachment guards and patrols the maritime border of 172 km along the Danube in Odesa Oblast.
History In February 1996, on the basis of the 3rd River Brigade of Ukrainian Navy, the Izmail Sea Guard brigade was formed, consisting of four vessels of the project "21204" and one PSKR of the project "Trofeiny" along with a division of small boats and auxiliary vessels in Kiliya with Captain 1st Rank Martiyan M. P. as the brigade's first commander. On 6 July 1996, the vessel Lubny became the brigade's first vessel to be operationally deployed. The brigade performed regular patrols along Ukraine's maritime border on the Danube Delta at the junction of the Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania to the river's mouth. In 1999, the Izmail Brigade was recognized as the best naval unit of the Ukrainian Sea Guard and was awarded the Transitional Flag of the Odessa Regional Administration. On 26 December 1996, the vessel "Aist" of the Kiliya Division suffered an accident killing one sea guardsman (Kushnaryov M. A.). On 24 March 1999, the Izmail brigade's anti-submarine warfare ship took part in the destruction of WW2-era naval mines. In June 2000, the brigade underwent organizational and personnel changes and a training center was incorporated into its composition. In December 2000, it was disbanded and incorporated into the Odessa Sea Guard Detachment. In June 2002, it was reestablished as the 18th Izmail Maritime Guard Detachment.Історія Ізмаїльського загону морської охорони It was again disbanded in 2008. In July 2018, a decision was made to restore the unit. On February 20, 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a decree resulting in the reestablishment.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the detachment took part in the Snake Island campaign playing a direct role in the capture of snake island from Russian forces.Border guards from Snake Island received awards BG-80 Danube was reportedly scrapped between October and 9 November 2022 amidst the war for spare parts. On 23 August 2023, the detachment destroyed a Russian Shahed drone.Military personnel shot down three kamikaze drones over Odessa region On 7 September 2023, the detachment's personnel destroyed a Russian kamikaze drone.In the south of Ukraine, border guards shot down five kamikaze drones
Vessels
Vessel number Image Name Class Launched Incorporation RemarksAuxiliary vesselsBG-58AmethystProject "Steel" Turkish schooner2000BG-80 Danube Command ship 02.07.1942 01.08.1996 Until 1997 - SSV-10 Prut, Austrian-built minesweeper Grafinau. Patrol vesselsBG-82 Lubny Project 1204 artillery boats 1972 1994 BG-81Kaniv19711995BG-83Nizhyn19681994BG-84Izmail19691995BG-107Zhuk-class patrol boatBG-612Project 376 patrol vessel BG-613BG-801РВК-155Project 376A vessel20.12.19661997BG-806Project 363 vesselBG-08 Kalkan-PBG-807Kalkan BG-808 UMS 600Galeon Galia 640
Commanders Captain 1st Rank Martiyan M. P. (1996–2000) Captain 1st Rank Isakov V.V. (2000–2002) Captain 1st Rank Zapyantsev Volodymyr Oleksandrovych (2002–2004) Captain 1st Rank Serhiy Volodymyrovych Shevchuk (2005–2007) Captain 1st Rank Oleksandr Oleksandrovich Tarasenko (2007–2008) Captain 1st Rank Shiksha Oleg Mykolayovych (2018–)
References