Small Things Play Big Dividends in Russia-Ukraine War
Officials with the U.S. Navy are crediting Ukraine’s ability to stave off Russia’s invasion largely with the nation's success shown in the Black Sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian military, especially the Ukrainian Navy, are achieving four main goals by being technical, tactical and ready for evolution, allowing them to withstand the Russian attack.
Following Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukraine was “a nation that wasn’t expected to survive days, much less a week,” but they have “managed in the maritime,” according to Rear Adm. Michael Mattis, USN, the commander of Task Force 66 and director of Strategic Effects.
The first objective that Ukraine is attaining is that its navy stood strong in the Black Sea and prevented any type of invasion from the sea. Leaders and soldiers accomplished this by utilizing mines and coastal defense cruise missiles, and their success was significantly on display when they took back Snake Island, Mattis said.
“After the retaking of Snake Island, it was pretty clear that the Ukrainian armed forces had regained advantage, and I’d offer that Ukraine has done a phenomenal job of integrating all the main effects,” Mattis said during a discussion at the WEST 2025 conference in San Diego. “We saw that in their campaign to retake Snake Island. Very challenging for them to do that, but with security assistance and coaching, they did a spectacular job of integrating air and surface and long-range fires to essentially defeat the Russian forces on that island.”
Ukraine’s second goal is to prevent missile attacks from the sea, according to Mattis. The effectiveness of Ukraine's innovative missile defense system has led to a significant reduction in missile attacks by Russia.
“We saw, initially, a great volley of fires coming from the sea in 2022 and then drop off in 2023 as Ukraine had increasing success with unmanned, robotic and autonomous systems in the Black Sea against the Russian fleet,” Mattis said. “And in 2024, the Russians have been bastioned, and [attacks] ceased in the Eastern Black Sea, and have been very challenged to come out and do strikes. Some still occur but at a much-diminished rate.”
Ukraine’s third objective is to a prevent blockade. The Ukrainian Navy has not only warded off a blockade, but it has successfully used unmanned surface vehicles to hit and affect Russian ships, according to Mattis.
The only way to stay ahead of this fight is with innovation and constantly changing both your tactics and capabilities.
And lastly, Ukraine is preventing resupplying from taking place ashore. Ukraine's military was able to cause the downfall of the Tartus Express, an operation that took supplies from Russia to Russian troops located in Tartus, Syria. The supplies were to be transported across the Black Sea, but the Ukrainian Navy halted this process, according to Mattis.
Ukraine is achieving these goals by continuously searching for and creating new, innovative ways to bring the fight to its adversary. Ukraine's initial defensive strategy to use mines and coastal defense cruise missiles was effective, but the nation continued to evolve and counter Russia’s counterattacks, which led to it using unmanned surface vehicles.
“This fight has continued to evolve as the capabilities require new tactics, techniques and procedures, and new innovative capabilities being put on the battlefield,” Mattis said. “It is much more like the ID fight of Iraq and Afghanistan, where it is action, reaction, counteraction, and the only way to stay ahead of this fight is with innovation and constantly changing both your tactics and capabilities.”
WEST is co-hosted by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute. SIGNAL Media is the official media of AFCEA International.
