# Odessa Sea Guard Detachment

1st Marine Guard Detachment (MUN 1485) is a military unit of the Ukrainian Sea Guard of the State Border Service of Ukraine. The detachment guards and patrols the maritime border in the Black Sea of 237 nautical miles (381.41 km) and also patrols and guards 97.78 miles (156.11 km) of maritime border along the Danube, in total an area of 25,000 sq. miles (82,500 km$^2$). Its range borders the areas of operations of Izmail, Bilhorod-Dniester and Odessa Border Detachments.

## History

In 1992, the 18th Odesa Sea Guard Detachment's personnel swore allegiance to Ukraine. In March 1995, the 26th and the 18th Marine Border Guard Detachment were merged as the 26th Sea Guard Detachment. In 2000 it was expanded to a Brigade level detachment named as the "1st Odesa Sea Guard Detachment". On 1 November 2002, it was awarded "The Best Military Unit of the Southern Direction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine." On 1 November 2009, it was again awarded as the "Best Military Unit of the Southern Regional Directorate of the State Border Service of Ukraine" and then for the third time in 2010.
In 2014, following the Russian invasion of Crimea, 12 units of the Sevastopol and Yalta maritime guard detachments were added to the Odessa Sea Guard detachment. On 7 August 2014, a sea guardsman of the detachment (Kolisnychenko Yevhen Anatoliyovych) was killed in combat during the Battle of the border. In 2018, Iryna Herashchenko and Iryna Friz presented the detachment with parliamentary honours. On 12 May 2021, the detachment discovered and thwarted the Russian missile corvette "Pavel Derzhavin" in the Black Sea near the city of Chornomorsk. On 1 June 2021, the detachment's chief of staff, Oleksiy Chertkov, did not arrive at the detachment's location and had gone missing, a search was initiated but failed to bring results, he was later revealed to be a Russian agent that had been evacuated by Russian agencies.
On 5 March 2022, the detachment evacuated 40 foreign crew members amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In December 2022, the special operations force of the detachment underwent extensive training. On 7 April 2023, the positions of the detachment in Kherson Oblast were struck by Russian Air Force, with Russian government sources alleging to have inflicted "significant casualties" of around "50 personnel". In 2023, it also conducted regular patrols in the Black Sea aimed at deterring the Russian fleet as well as boarding suspicious vehicles in search of ammunition and equipment being transported. It again underwent extensive training in December 2023. On the new year eve of 2024, the detachment destroyed a Russian Shahed drone.

## Vessels

| Vessel number | Назва | Class | Launched | Commissioned | Note |
| Heavy Vessels |||||||
| ВG-50 | Grigory Kuropyatnikov | Tarantul-class corvette | 18.01.1984 | 30.09.1984 | |
| BG-57 | Mykolaiv | Stenka-class patrol boat | 1988 | 1992 | Simultaneous introduction |
| BG-62 | Podillia | Stenka-class patrol boat | 1983 | 1995 | Simultaneous introduction |
| BG-63 | Pavel Derzhavin | Stenka-class patrol boat | 1987 | 1993 | Simultaneous introduction |
| Auxiliary vessels |||||||
| BG-60 | Titan | Tug | 1974 | 2021 | Command and Special Operations |
| Light vessels |||||||
| BG-01 | Crimea | Chika-class | 1978 | 1992 | |
| BG-101 | 525 | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-103 | 511 | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-104 | 512 | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-106 | Zlotokraj | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-109 | Nemyriv | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-111 | Odesa | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-115 | Ternopil | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-116 | Darnytsia | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-117 | Vatutinets | 1400М Patrol vessels | | | |
| BG-200 | Balaclava | Orlan-class | 09.10.2012 | 11.12.2012 | |
| BG-07 | | Kalkan-P | | | |
| BG-10 | | Kalkan-P | | | |
| BG-12 | | Kalkan-P | | | |
| BG-303 | | Kalkan | | | |
| BG-503 | | Kalkan | | | |
| BG-603 | | Kalkan | | | |
| BG-604 | | Kalkan | | | |
| BG-607 | | Kalkan | | | |
| BG-14 | | UMS 1000 | 2011 | 2011 | |
| BG-15 | | UMS 1000 | 2011 | 2011 | |
| BG-16 | | UMS 1000 | 2012 | 10.10.2012 | |
| BG-17 | | UMS 1000 | 2012 | 10.10.2012 | |
| BG-19 | | UMS 1000 | 2012 | 11.12.2012 | |
| BG-20 | | UMS 1000 | 2013 | 2013 | |
| BG-21 | | UMS 1000 | 2013 | 2013 | |
| BG-23 | | UMS 1000 | 06.10.2014 | 2014 | |
| | | UMS 600 | | | Small patrol vessels |
| | | Galeon Galia 640 | | | |
| | | BRIG Navigator N730M | | | Used for Special operations detachment |

## Commanders

* Captain 1st rank Samarsky Dmitry Leonidovich (?-2016?)
* Captain 1st rank Magera Roman Yaroslavovych (2016-)

## Structure

The detachment consists of:
* Management and Headquarters
* Heavy Warship Division (Odessa)
* Kiliya Sea Guard vessels Division (Kiliya)
* Kyiv Maritime security Division (Kyiv)
* Skadovsk Sea Guard Division (Skadovsk)
* Special Operations Detachment
* Support Units