Nanuchka-class (Project 1234)

The Nanuchka class, Soviet designation Project 1234 Ovod, is a series of guided missile corvettes built between 1969 and 1991. Developed for the Soviet Navy and export customers, the class was succeeded by the Buyan class.

The vessels were designed around the P-120 Malakhit anti-ship missile system. Export variants, designated Project 1234E, utilized the P-15 Termit missile. Unlike smaller contemporary missile boats, the class is equipped with SA-N-4 surface-to-air missiles for self-defense. Gun armament evolved through the subclasses: the Nanuchka I carried the AK-257 system, while the Nanuchka III utilized the AK-176 and the AK-630 point-defense gun. Modernization of the vessel Smerch included the replacement of its primary missile battery with the Uran system and the addition of the BAGIRA Fire Control System. One vessel, the Nakat (Project 12347), served as a trial platform for the P-800 Oniks anti-ship missile.

The Soviet Navy operated 17 Nanuchka I vessels, most of which were retired during the 1990s. The Musson was lost in 1987 after being struck by a missile during a training exercise. As of 2025, between five and seven Nanuchka III units remain active with the Russian Navy in the Baltic, Pacific, and Northern fleets. During the 2008 conflict in Abkhazia, the Mirazh reportedly sank a Georgian vessel.

Export operations included the navies of India, Algeria, and Libya. The Indian Navy operated three Project 1234E vessels, known as the Durg class, until the final unit was decommissioned in 2004. The Algerian National Navy continues to operate three units delivered between 1980 and 1981. The Libyan Navy received four vessels between 1982 and 1985. In March 1986, United States forces sank the Ain Zaquit and damaged the Ain Al Gazala. The Ain Zaara was destroyed in a NATO airstrike in 2011, and the Tariq Ibn Ziyad was destroyed in 2014 during fighting in Benghazi harbor.