How can Ukraine help unlock the Strait of Hormuz?

For over a week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that Kyiv is ready to help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted since breakout of the Iran war.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

However, so far Ukraine has received no requests, Zelenskyy said on Friday.

“Our signal to the United States and countries in the Middle East about the Strait of Hormuz was that we were open to discussing it," he said X.

Zelenskyy said no country can lift the blockade on its own at this stage as he insisted that Kyiv has experience with launching the Grain Corridor in the Black Sea "despite Russia’s attempts to block the flow of food and other goods."

"The situation now is similar, but it is about energy," he said, adding that from Ukraine’s experience "the war and the negotiations on reopening the Hormuz Strait can go in parallel."

"An alternative step would be to control the strait unilaterally, as Ukraine did with the Grain Corridor. Achieving this would require interceptors, military convoys to escort the vessels, a large integrated electronic warfare network, and other tools," Zelenskyy said.

Food security corridor in the Black Sea

In summer 2022 Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN signed the Black Sea Grain Initiative - an agreement that safely allowed the export of grain from Ukrainian ports to world markets, reducing global food prices.

It created a maritime humanitarian corridor, but the initiative was terminated one year later after Russia withdrew its participation and said it would view any vessel bound for Ukraine as a potential military target.

Zelenskyy said over the past days that Moscow used a "a wide range of equipment for the blockade, not only battleships."

However, Ukraine has since established new export routes.

"We crippled the Russian Black Sea Fleet and pushed them away from the corridor," he explained.

"Then we organised convoys for civilian vessels using sea drones to counter Russian helicopters and other offensive weaponry."

The Food Security Corridor has been under Ukrainian control since then.

"We can share this expertise with other countries, but nobody asked us to come and help with the Hormuz Strait. Partners only asked us to share our expertise."

What tools does Ukraine have?

Unblocking the Strait of Hormuz would most likely require clearing mines, suppressing threats from along the coast of Iran, and, most importantly, defending ships in real time.

This is where Kyiv has the knowledge and the know-how.

With Iran relying massively on Shahed-type drones, the interception is key. In parts of the Strait, ships come very close to the Iranian coast, and strikes could reach their targets in a few minutes or less, leaving a very short window for interception.

Kyiv’s experience in defending against fast, low-cost, short-range drones could be particularly valuable to the US and the Gulf countries.

A central element in defending ships in real time could be Ukraine’s naval drones.

Kyiv forces now operate a wide range of unmanned surface systems that can be used for both kamikaze strikes against surface ships and, in modified versions, to launch first-person-view (FPV) drones or to carry air defence systems.

The most famous among those are Magura V5, Sea Baby, and Mamay. These drones have already proven effective in destroying even large, like Russia’s fleet landing ship Caesar Kunikov.

They can be adapted to defend commercial shipping in the Strait by operating alongside vessels providing constant coverage.

Zelenskyy confirmed that the naval drones are indeed included in the defence deals Ukraine signed with the Gulf countries last week.

Why is Kyiv offering help?

Ukraine has agreed to provide Gulf states with its complete air defence system — including maritime drones, electronic warfare and interception technology — against Iranian drones.

Some of these systems can help unblock the Strait of Hormuz, Zelenskyy said earlier in March, announcing the 10-year agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.

For Kyiv the deals with the Gulf states are an opportunity to open its arms exports on a global scale.

It would allow Ukraine to improve its own air defence against Russian ballistic missiles, as well as secure financially lucrative deals for its homegrown defence sector.

Ukraine is also trying to use the momentum of the Iran war and the escalation in the Middle East as a window of opportunity to strengthen its geopolitical role and even transition from a recipient of security aid to a provider.