Andrii Ryzhenko
Captain (ret.) Andrii Ryzhenko is a former officer in the Ukrainian Navy. He retired from the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the rank of Navy Captain. Capt. Ryzhenko served over 35 years at sea and ashore: aboard surface warships, at Ukrainian Navy HQ on maritime tactics and PfP exercises, and as defense and strategic planner. He also worked on Ukrainian Navy transformation to Euro-Atlantic standards and on the contribution to NATO-led operations and NATO Response Forces. He served in NATO on partner nation units’ evaluation methodology (OCC E&F) at SHAPE (Mons, Belgium), and he developed maritime aspects of the National Security Strategy in Ukraine. Capt. Ryzhenko is currently a strategic expert at the defense and logistics consultant firm, Sonata.
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Articles by Andrii Ryzhenko
Russia Looks to Target Achilles’ Heel of Western Economies on Ocean Floor
Executive Summary: Western officials have raised concerns about increased Russian naval and sabotage activity, which could potentially target the global underwater cable network vital for international communication, financial transactions, and
Crimea as Ukraine’s Trump Card Against Russia
Executive Summary: This year, Ukraine has taken the initiative at sea and focused more strikes on Crimea and Russian positions in the Black Sea. With new tactics and weaponry, these
Ukraine’s Drone and Missile Offensive in Black Sea Knocks Russian Navy Flat Aback
Executive Summary: The Russian Navy’s reserve of admirals and ships is steadily decreasing as senior military commanders are losing their positions following numerous setbacks for the Black Sea Fleet at
Ukraine Uses Innovative Drone and Missile Tactics to Combat Russian Dominance in Black Sea
Over the past few months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have relentlessly suppressed Russia’s military presence in the Black Sea and Crimea. On November 9, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council
Ukraine Needs to Secure Its Maritime Future: ‘Mosquito Fleet’ Provides a Viable Strategy
The Ukrainian Armed Forces face the difficult task of liberating 80 percent of Ukraine’s coast, now controlled by Russia, including the Azov Sea region and Crimean Peninsula. The country also
Warfare in Kinburn Spit Emphasizes Ukrainian Navy’s Utility in Coastal Combat Operations
Located between the Black Sea and the Dnipro-Bug estuary, the Kinburn Spit is a natural 10-kilometer (6.2 miles) formation in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. It occupies the westernmost part of the Kinburn
Nord Stream Explosions: Russian Sabotage in the Baltic?
On Monday, September 26, European media reported a significant loss of pressure in the Nord Stream Two pipeline. Shortly thereafter, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson reported that a number of
Missiles and Escorts: Unblocking Ukraine’s Ports on the Black Sea
From the beginning of the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, the Russian Black Sea Fleet moved in to block or occupy all of Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
Crimea’s Role as Russian Bastion for the Ongoing War in Ukraine
In September 2016, the chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Valery Gerasimov, announced the creation of an anti-access, area-denial (A2/AD) zone over the Black Sea,
Vulnerable Arteries: Severe Challenges to the Security of Ukraine’s Internal Waterways
Executive Summary Ukraine faces threats and challenges of sabotage and diversionary activities on the country’s main rivers and against critical riparian infrastructure. In December 2020, Kyiv adopted the Law “On
The Realities of Russian Military Shipbuilding (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. A constant drumbeat of Russian propaganda and sensationalist international reporting has created the impression that Russia’s naval forces are much more formidable
The Realities of Russian Military Shipbuilding (Part One)
In the last decade, Russia has increasingly sought to show off its muscles to the rest of the world. Extensive Russian propaganda has focused on purported successes in the country’s