Project 22870 is a series of rescue tugs in service with the Russian Navy designed by the Vympel Design Bureau, intended for towing ships in distress, fire fighting, medical evacuation, and rescue operations.
Operational history During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the tugboat Spasatel Vasily Bekh was hit and sunk on 17 June 2022 by two anti-ship missiles fired by Ukrainian forces. The vessel was allegedly transporting weapons and ammunition to Snake Island, which was occupied by Russian forces at the time.
Ships Name Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fleet Status SB-45 Zvezdochka Shipyard 2011 24 May 2013 27 June 2014 Caspian Flotilla Active Professor Nikolay Muru (ex-SB-565) Zvezdochka Shipyard 20 May 2014 28 December 2014 Black Sea Fleet Active SB-738 Zvezdochka Shipyard 21 May 2015 4 July 2016 Caspian Flotilla Active Spasatel Vasily Bekh (ex-SB-739) Zvezdochka Shipyard 2 August 2016 16 January 2017 Black Sea Fleet Sunk 17 June 2022 during the Russo-Ukrainian War Capitan Guryev Zvezdochka Shipyard 27 January 2016 18 May 2018 5 December 2018 Black Sea Fleet Active SB-742 Zvezdochka Shipyard 27 October 2016 22 May 2019 19 December 2019 Black Sea Fleet Active Mikhail Chekov Zvezdochka Shipyard 25 March 2021 21 May 2024 29 December 2025 Black Sea Fleet Active
See also List of active Russian Navy ships Future of the Russian Navy
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