''Vasily Bykov'' (russian: Василий Быков, Vasiliy Bykov) is a
project 22160 patrol ship
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...
of the
Russian Navy, of which it was the first ship built.
It was
laid down on 26 February 2014 on the
Zelenodolsk Shipyard at
Zelenodolsk in
Tatarstan,
Russia, and
launched on 28 August 2017.
''Vasily Bykov'' was
commissioned on 20 December 2018 in the at
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...
, becoming part of the
Black Sea Fleet
Chernomorskiy flot
, image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet
, dates = May 13, ...
.
Operational history
''Vasily Bykov,'' along with the , took part in the
attack on Snake Island
On 24 February 2022, the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy attacked Snake Island (Ukraine), Snake Island, a Ukrainian island in the Black Sea, and captured it along with its entire g ...
on 24 February 2022 during the first day of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. The island was bombarded with the ships' guns before
Russian Naval Infantry landed. The confrontation ended with the
Russian takeover of
Snake Island.
On 7 March 2022, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had attacked ''Vasily Bykov'' using a shore based
multiple rocket launcher system off the coast of
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
, stating that the ship had been heavily damaged or even
sunk. However, on 16 March 2022, ''Vasily Bykov'' was seen returning to the
Sevastopol Naval Base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in
Sevastopol, with no damage visible. According to ''The Drive'', the
Moldovan-flagged tanker , which was still burning after having been shelled by a Russian warship on 25 February 2022 and located from Ukrainian port
Yuzhne, could have been mistakenly interpreted by Ukrainian officials as the ''Vasily Bykov''. Later, on the last day of June, Russian forces retreated from Snake Island. Earlier, on 14 April 2022, the ship the ''Vasily Bykov'' had attacked Snake Island with, the ''Moskva'', had been
sunk.
In June 2022, ''Vasily Bykov'' was for the first time equipped with a self-contained fighting module of the
Tor-M2KM air-defence system, installed on its helicopter deck.
See also
* "
Russian warship, go fuck yourself"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasily Bykov
2017 ships
Patrol vessels of the Russian Navy
Ships built in Russia
Ships involved in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Maritime incidents in 2022
Southern Ukraine campaign