The Ukrainian Navy recently completed refurbishment and reactivation of its only submarine, the Foxtrot-class boat Zaporizhzhya . Built in St. Petersburg, Russia, the 42-year-old submarine originally was transferred to the Ukraine in 1997. Since then she has completed several minor refits, but despite the repairs has remained pier-side for years. Having again fallen into a state of disrepair due to budget shortages, the boat began a full refurbishment around 2008 that recently has been completed. The Zaporizhzhya , pictured here at the start of her overhaul, reportedly completed the first set of sea trials successfully on 27 April; more tests presumably will follow. While the Cold War–era submarine remains only marginally useful from an operational perspective, she may help familiarize and prepare a new generation of Ukrainian submariners if a more modern boat is acquired in the future.

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