Vasily Bykov at the Novorossiysk Naval Base in Novorossiysk in 2022
History
RussiaRussia
NameVasily Bykov
BuilderZelenodolsk Shipyard
Laid down26 February 2014
Launched28 August 2017
Commissioned20 December 2018
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeProject 22160
Complement80
Armament
  • 1 × 76.2 mm AK-176MA automatic dual-purpose gun[1]
  • 2 × 14.5 mm MTPU machineguns
  • DP-65 10 barreled anti-saboteur automatic grenade launcher system
  • DP-64 2 barreled anti-saboteur grenade launcher system
  • A variety of module containers including weapon modules containing 324 mm Paket-NK torpedoes,[2] 3M24, Kalibr-NK cruise missiles and 9M331M surface-to-air missiles[3]
Aircraft carried1 x Ka-27 or Ka-226

Vasily Bykov (Russian: Василий Быков, romanized: Vasiliy Bykov) is a project 22160 patrol ship of the Russian Navy, of which it was the first ship built.[4] It was laid down on 26 February 2014 on the Zelenodolsk Shipyard at Zelenodolsk in Tatarstan, Russia,[5] and launched on 28 August 2017.[4] Vasily Bykov was commissioned on 20 December 2018 in the Novorossiysk Naval Base at Novorossiysk, becoming part of the Black Sea Fleet.[6]

Operational history

Vasily Bykov, along with the Slava-class cruiser Moskva, took part in the attack on Snake Island on 24 February 2022 during the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The island was bombarded with the ships' guns before Russian Naval Infantry landed. The confrontation ended with the Russian takeover of Snake Island.[7]

On 7 March 2022, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had attacked Vasily Bykov using a shore based multiple rocket launcher system off the coast of Odesa, stating that the ship had been heavily damaged or even sunk.[8][9] However, on 16 March 2022, Vasily Bykov was seen returning to the Sevastopol Naval Base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, with no damage visible. According to The Drive, the Moldovan-flagged tanker MV Millennial Spirit, which was still burning after having been shelled by a Russian warship on 25 February 2022 and located twelve miles (19 km) from the Ukrainian port of Yuzhne, could have been mistakenly interpreted by Ukrainian officials as the Vasily Bykov.[10] On 14 April 2022, the ship the Vasily Bykov had attacked Snake Island with, the Moskva, was sunk,[11] and on 30 June, the Russian army retreated from Snake Island.[12]

In June 2022, Vasily Bykov was for the first time equipped with a self-contained fighting module of the Tor-M2KM air-defence system, installed on its helicopter deck.[13][3]

On 1 August 2023, the Ministry of Defence of Russia claimed that a Ukrainian attack with three naval drones on Vasily Bykov and another Russian project 22160 patrol ship, Sergey Kotov, had been repelled. It also accused Ukraine of having attempted to attack Russian civilian vessels in the southwestern part of the Black Sea with naval drones. Ukrainian officials rejected both the claims of attacks on Russian civilian[14] and military ships.[15]

On 13 August, Russia announced that Vasily Bykov had opened warning fire from automatic weapons to stop the Palauan-flagged cargo ship Sukru Okan, which was navigating through the Black Sea, after it failed to respond to a Russian request to inspect it.[16]

On 14 September, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that Vasily Bykov engaged and destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones. Vasily Bykov and another warship were puportedly escorting two merchant vessels, Yaz and Ursa Major, the latter an alleged arms-runner, heading towards Istanbul.[17] On the other hand, Ukrainian forces claimed that day they had damaged Vasily Bykov.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Завершены полигонные испытания модернизированной корабельной артиллерийской установки АК-176МА" [Field tests of the modernized shipborne artillery mount AK-176MA completed]. Bmpd.livejournal.com. 3 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Проект 22160" [Project 22160]. balancer.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Russian patrol ship Vasily Bykov equipped with Tor-M2KM system". navyrecognition.com. 8 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 Ptichkin, Sergey (2 July 2018). "Меняет оружие на ходу" [Change weapons on the go]. Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ↑ "Заложен патрульный корабль "Василий Быков"" [Patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" laid down]. bmpd.livejournal.com (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "В состав Черноморского флота приняты патрульный корабль "Василий Быков" и спасательное буксирное судно "Капитан Гурьев"" [The Black Sea Fleet received the patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" and the rescue tugboat "Captain Guryev"]. Telekanal "ZVEZDA" (in Russian). 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Russian Navy Captures Ukraine's Outpost on Snake Island". The Maritime Executive. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. ↑ Ough, Tom (7 March 2022). "'We f------ hit them!' Ukraine inflicts blow to Russian warship which attacked Snake Island soldiers". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "По предварительной информации, сегодня ракетным залпом с побережья Одесской области как минимум поврежден патрульный корабль ЧФ РФ "Василий Быков"" [According to preliminary information, today a missile salvo from the coast of the Odesa region at least damaged the patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation "Vasily Bykov"] (in Ukrainian). Ukrinform. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (16 March 2022). "The Curious Case Of Russia's Back From The Dead Warship". The Drive. Retrieved 18 March 2022. All told, Vasiliy Bykov's claimed destruction at the hands of a Ukrainian rocket artillery battery is exactly the kind of morale-boosting story of plucky underdog determination and resourcefulness that, especially with the additional Snake Island connection, one might want to be true. However, the ship's apparent reappearance in Crimea unscathed suggests that it is not.
  11. ↑ Harding, Luke (14 April 2022). "Russia's Moskva cruiser sinks following Ukrainian claim of missile strike". The Guardian.
  12. ↑ "Russian invaders escape from Snake Island". Ukrinform. 30 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Ground-Based Tor SAM System Seen Strapped To Russian Black Sea Warship". thedrive.com. 7 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "Russia says it thwarts Ukrainian attacks on navy and civilian ships in Black Sea". Reuters. 1 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Zubkova, Daria (2 August 2023). "Ukraine is not involved in attack on ships of Russian Black Sea Fleet - Navy". Ukrainian News Agency.
  16. ↑ Faulconbridge, Guy (13 August 2023). "Russian warship fires warning shots on cargo ship in Black Sea". Reuters.
  17. ↑ Sutton, H. I. (14 September 2023). "Ukraine's Attack On Sevastopol Also Targeted Important Ships Crossing Black Sea". Naval News. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Ukraine says Russian missile defence destroyed in Crimea, 2 warships hit". Aljazeera. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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