Russia Launches Steregushchiy-Class Corvette For Pacific Fleet After 5 Years Of Construction

Russia has launched a Project 20380 Steregushchiy-class guided-missile corvette, the Grozny, being built for the Pacific Fleet, adding another vessel to the country’s programme to expand its naval presence in the Far East.

The launch ceremony of the ship was held on October 23 at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where the ship will undergo further construction and testing before entering service. The vessel’s keel was laid on August 23, 2021.

As reported by Interfax, citing the Pacific Fleet press service, the Grozny is the fifth serial-produced Project 20380 corvette constructed at the Amur shipyard and the ninth ship of the project as a whole.

The ship was rolled out of the construction slipway with the help of Amurets pontoon dock and transferred to the outfitting pier of the factory.

The Pacific Fleet has already formed Grozny’s crew, which began training on October 5. The crew is expected to join the shipyard team to take part in completing the vessel.

According to Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Viktor Liina, the corvette will join the fleet in the coming years.

Before commissioning, Grozny must complete the remaining outfitting work and undergo harbour and sea trials, followed by state testing. The source material does not provide a specific date for its entry into service.

The Pacific Fleet currently operates four Project 20380 corvettes built at the Amur shipyard: Sovershenny, Gromkiy, Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Rezkiy. Once Grozny completes its trials and enters service, the number of these vessels in the fleet will rise to five.

The Project 20380 vessels can be used for multipurpose naval operations like patrolling, engagement with enemy surface ships and submarines, as well as artillery cover during amphibious assaults.

The design incorporates measures to reduce radar signature. Its weapons and equipment are intended to support anti-ship, air-defence and anti-submarine operations.

The Project 20380 class has also featured in reports about efforts to protect Russian warships against Ukrainian drone attacks.

As per reports in late July, new machine-gun mounts had been installed in Stoikiy, which is a Baltic Fleet corvette that operates from Baltiysk located in Russia’s Kaliningrad oblast. The installations comprised 12.7 mm Kord and 7.62 mm PKM machine guns.

Stoikiy is responsible for escort missions and has reportedly provided a passage for a Russian cargo ship that has docked in Tartus port of Syria for refueling at Khmeimim air base.

On June 3, 2026, another corvette of the same class, named Boikiy, was seriously damaged by a Ukrainian drone strike when it was in dry dock at Kronstadt for routine maintenance. As many as two drones hit the warship, causing a huge fire, according to satellite images. The fire damage has been seen in a significant portion of its superstructure.

The launch of Grozny increases the number of hulls for Russia’s Pacific Fleet construction program. The performance of the warship will depend on the completion of fitting-out work and testing prior to its acceptance by the Russian Navy.

Reference: militarnyi