Natya-class

The Natya class, designated Project 266M Akvamarin, is a series of Soviet-designed ocean minesweepers developed as a successor to the Yurka class. Between 1970 and 1982, 45 vessels were completed for the Soviet Navy, with production for export continuing into the late 1980s.

The design utilizes a low magnetic steel hull and incorporates an electrical field compensator to reduce the vessel's magnetic signature. One specific unit, identified by NATO as Natya 2, was built with an aluminum hull. To minimize acoustic signatures, the engines are mounted on sound-dampening beams and the propellers are shrouded. Standard equipment includes active mine-detection sonar, closed-circuit television, and a stern ramp for the recovery of sweeping gear. A modernized prototype, Project 02668, features an integrated navigation bridge, a main command center, and an automated anti-mine action control system. This variant entered service with the Black Sea Fleet in 2009.

The class has been operated by the navies of the Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, India, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. India commissioned 12 modified vessels as the Pondicherry class between 1978 and 1988, all of which have since been decommissioned. Libya received eight ships between 1981 and 1986. During the 2014 conflict in Crimea, Russia captured two Ukrainian vessels, the Chernihiv and Cherkasy.

Five units are believed to remain in Russian service, assigned to the Black Sea Fleet and the Pacific Fleet. On the night of 1-2 March 2026, the Project 266M minesweeper Valentin Pikul was the vessel most heavily damaged in a mass drone attack on the naval base at Novorossiysk. In May 2024, Ukrainian forces reported the destruction of the minesweeper Kovrovets. Independent verification of this claim has not been established, and the Russian Ministry of Defense has not issued a statement regarding the vessel's status.