The first Ada MILGEM corvette, which is being built for the Ukrainian Navy, was launched at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul on 2 October.
The press service of the Ukrainian Navy said that the ceremony of launching the warship named Hetman Ivan Mazepa was attended by First Lady Olena Zelenska and Ukrainian Navy Commander Rear Adm Oleksiy Neyizhpapa.
"Today's extremely important event for Ukraine and its Navy once again confirms that in the conditions of a decisive war for our independence and territorial integrity, for the will of the multinational Ukrainian people, for freedom and dignity, we have a wonderful friend - the Republic of Turkey," he said, addressing the audience.
Neyizhpapa stressed the mutual benefit of Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation.
"Our cooperation is getting another dimension - a beautiful corvette, which will soon defend Ukraine, free navigation, which is certainly a common goal of our countries," he said.
In July 2021, Ukraine received from Turkey an updated version of the Bayraktar TV2 reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle with an extended range for the national fleet, and in September the keel of the future corvette was laid.
In August this year, Zelenskyy named the Ada-class corvette of the Ukrainian Navy Hetman Ivan Mazepa. The ship is expected to join the Navy in 2024.