It is noteworthy that – except for the civilian icebreaker Yakutia – all the vessels described here can launch Kalibr cruise missiles which are being used extensively by the Russian Navy in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Another Karakurt-class corvette for the Black Sea Fleet
On December 21, a flag-raising ceremony was held in Kaspiysk on the corvette (small missile ship) Tucha of project 22800 Karakurt. Although the ceremony took place in the Caspian Sea, the vessel became part of the Black Sea Fleet. The presence of the new Karakurt-class corvettes in the Caspian Sea, including during shipyard trials, is expected to protect them from attack by Ukrainian cruise missiles and drones.
The keel of the Tucha (606) was laid down on February 26, 2019 at the “Zelenodol’skiy” Shipyard in Zelenodolsk, in Tatarstan. This is the first Karakurt built at this shipyard. The previous three, contracted to be built at “Zelenodol’skiy” Shipyard, were actually built by a subcontractor, Shipyard Butomy (formerly Zaliv) in Kerch in seized Crimea. The christening and launching of the Tuch took place on June 30, 2023.
Currently, the Russian Navy has six Karakurt-class ships (Baltic Fleet – 3, Caspian Flotilla – 1, Black Sea Fleet – 2). One ship, the Tsiklon, was destroyed in a Ukrainian ATACMS missile attack in May 2024. Another nine are under construction (some of them are conducting factory trials).
The last and final Buyan-M has started sea trials
On December 22, sea trials of the corvette (small missile ship) Stavropol (555) began in the waters of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea. It is the twelfth and final unit of the project 21631 Buyan-M. The ship is intended for the Baltic Fleet.
The Stavropol is also a ship built by the “Zelenodol’skiy” Shipyard. The keel of the corvette was laid on July 12, 2018, and it was initially expected to be completed in 2020. However, the construction of the Buyan-Ms was severely delayed by international sanctions imposed after the annexation of Crimea. Originally, the ships of this class were equipped with four MTU 16V4000M90 diesel engines, deliveries of which were halted. The Russians replaced them with Chinese engines, but these proved to be of low quality. In the end, it was decided to use two Russian Kolomienskiy Zavod 10D49 diesel engines, but their production rate is low.
For this reason, the Stavropol was not launched until June 11, 2024. In September it was towed by inland waterways to the Baltic, where sea trials had just begun.
Currently, the Russian Navy has 11 Buyan-Ms (Baltic Fleet – 4, Caspian Flotilla – 3, Black Sea Fleet – 4).
New Project 23550 Arctic patrol vessel
On December 25, the Arctic patrol ship Nikolai Zubov was launched at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg. It is the second vessel of the Project 23550 . The Russian Defense Ministry ordered two such OPVs in 2016.
The 23550 patrol vessels are intended for the Northern Fleet. They will be used to monitor the Arctic waters of the Russian Federation, detain ships for violations, supply ships, transport cargo, and participate in search and rescue operations. They have hull reinforcements and can operat in ice 1.7 meters thick.
The first of the Arctic patrol vessels – Ivan Papanin – was launched in October 2019, and is currently undergoing trials in the Baltic Sea. It is due to be handed over to the Russian Navy in June this year, while the recently launched Zubov is due in 2026.
The new Arctic patrol vessels were designed by the St. Petersburg-based Almaz bureau. Full displacement is 8500 tons, and dimensions are 114.5×19.5×6.5 m. Diesel-electric propulsion (four generators and two electric motors) provides a speed of 18 knots.
The ships armament is: 76 mm AK-176MA automatic gun, 2-4 12.7 mm Kord machine guns and MANPADS Igla or Verba. The patrol vessels have also a helipad and hangar for a Ka-27 or Ka-226 helicopter. In addition, the ships are adapted to transport a landing and assault cutter of the project 02800, a small hovercraft of the project 23321. On the aft deck there is the possibility of taking containerized version of the Kalibr-NK system (Kalibr-K from kontenernyy, containerized).
Commissioning of the 4th Yasen-M SSGN Arkhangelsk
On December 27, a ceremony was held at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk for the commissioning into service in the Northern Fleet of the Arkhangelsk (K-564) nuclear-powered missile submarine (SSGN). It is the fourth unit of the project 885M (08851) Yasen-M. The keel of the Arkhangelsk was laid on March 19, 2015, and it was launched on November 29, 2023. It is the second Project 885M submarine to join the Northern Fleet (the first was K-561 Kazan). The other two joined the Pacific Fleet (K-573 Novosibirsk and K-571 Krasnoyarsk).
Project 08851 submarines are a modification of the base project 885 design, of which only a prototype was built – K-560 Severodvinsk. Submarines of projects 885 Yasen and 885M Yasen-M are for the time being the only underwater carriers of 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic anti-ship missiles. In addition to them, they can fire 3M54 anti-ship missiles and 3M14 cruise missiles of the Kalibr-PL system.
Serial production of more project 885M submarines is underway at the shipyard in Severodvinsk. Currently in various stages of construction are: Perm, Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, Vladivostok.
The 4th Project 22220 nuclear icebreaker
On December 28, the flag was raised at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg on the nuclear-powered icebreaker Yakutiya. It is the fourth unit of the project 22220 Arktika. Yakutiya was launched on November 22, 2022. The icebreaker’s operator is Atomflot, the company responsible for operating Russian civilian nuclear-powered vessels.
Arktika-class icebreakers (not to be confused with the codename of the 23550 Arctic patrol vessels!) are the largest ships of this class in the world. They have a displacement of 33,540 tons and dimensions of 173.3×33×10.5 meters. Two RITM 200 nuclear reactors with 81,000 horsepower, whose fuel lasts for seven years, allow them to reach speeds of 22 knots. Construction of two more Arktika-class icebreakers is underway in St. Petersburg.
