Krivak-class (Project 1135 Burevestnik)

The Krivak class, designated Project 1135 Burevestnik, is a series of frigates and patrol ships designed as the successor to the Riga class. Development began in the late 1950s, with the design maturing into an anti-submarine warfare platform during the 1960s. The first vessel, Bditelnyy, entered service in 1970. Construction was carried out at the Yantar, Zhdanov, Baltic, and Zaliv shipyards. A total of 40 vessels were completed under the original programs, including 32 for the Soviet Navy and eight for the KGB Border Troops.

The class utilizes COGAG propulsion and is characterized by a bow-mounted missile box and an angled mast. Initial Project 1135 variants focused on anti-submarine warfare. The Project 1135M (Krivak II) variant introduced AK-100 guns and a redesigned variable depth sonar installation. The Project 11351 Nerey (Krivak III) design, produced for coastal patrol, replaced the bow missile system with a helicopter hangar and moved the primary gun to the bow. Modernizations designated Project 11352 and 11353 (Krivak IV) replaced anti-submarine mortars with SS-N-25 anti-ship missiles and updated the radar and electronic warfare suites. Further derivatives include the Project 11356 Talwar class for the Indian Navy and the Project 11356R Admiral Grigorovich class for the Russian Navy.

Operating navies have included the Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, India, and North Korea. Service history includes the 1975 mutiny aboard the Storozhevoy and the 1988 Black Sea bumping incident, in which the Bezzavetnyy collided with the USS Yorktown. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, several vessels were transferred to the Ukrainian Navy, including the flagship Hetman Sahaidachny, which was scuttled in March 2022. The Indian Navy operates eight Talwar-class derivatives, additional units having been sold to India after construction was suspended for the Russian Navy over turbine delivery problems. INS Tushil was handed over in December 2024 and INS Tamal was commissioned at Kaliningrad on 1 July 2025 as the eighth hull; two further ships of the Triput class are building at Goa Shipyard for delivery from 2027. Two original vessels, Ladny and Pytlivy, remain active in Russian service. The Russian Black Sea Fleet currently operates Admiral Grigorovich-class variants commissioned between 2016 and 2017.