Karakurt-class (Project 22800)

Project 22800, designated Karakurt, was developed by the Almaz Design Bureau. The design is a derivative of the Project 12300 Skorpion and was influenced by the Project 21631 Buyan-M class. The Russian Navy commissioned the class to provide a more seaworthy complement to littoral corvettes and as a smaller alternative to the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates following the cessation of technical cooperation with Ukraine. The project was publicly presented in 2015, with construction commencing at the Pella Shipyard later that year.

The class features a stealth-shaped superstructure and an integrated mast equipped with phased-array radar panels. The design incorporates the Mineral-M and Pozitiv-M radar systems. Primary offensive armament consists of cruise missiles launched from vertical cells located aft of the bridge. Defensive equipment differs across the class; early vessels utilized gun-based close-in weapon systems and modular missile units, while subsequent hulls transitioned to the navalized Pantsir-M system. The vessels are powered by a CODAD propulsion system using turbodiesel engines and are not equipped for anti-submarine warfare.

The Russian Navy began operating the class in 2018 with the commissioning of the Mytishchi. Ships have been constructed at yards in Saint Petersburg, Zelenodolsk, Kerch, Feodosia, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Domestic engine supply issues have resulted in completion delays for several vessels. Units are currently deployed with the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, and additional ships are undergoing sea trials for assignment to the Pacific Fleet.

Service history includes instances of combat damage and loss. In November 2023, the Askold was heavily damaged by a cruise missile strike while at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch. In May 2024, the Tsiklon was reported destroyed. Some vessels originally designated for the Black Sea Fleet have been documented operating in the Caspian region. On the night of 3 May 2026, Ukrainian drones struck a Karakurt-class corvette at Primorsk, where it had been deployed to protect Russia's largest Baltic oil terminal; the extent of the damage was not established and the hull was not named publicly. Bureya was commissioned into the Baltic Fleet at Baltiysk on 8 May 2026. Contractual disputes related to delivery schedules have led to litigation between the Russian Defence Ministry and the Pella Shipyard.