Russians give new names to captured Ukrainian armored gunboats

The gunboats Akkerman and Vyshgorod, captured by the Russians, were renamed after being incorporated into the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.

Russian media reported on this.

The Ukrainian Navy’s Project 58155 gunboats have received new names as part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The Akkerman became the Razboynik, and the Vyshgorod became the Nayezdnik.

The Russians seized these vessels in Mariupol and Berdiansk intact in 2022. After that, they were transported to the port of Novorossiysk on their own, where Russian experts examined them.

The boats were named after the sailing screw clippers of the same name that served in the Russian Imperial Navy.

Razboynik is known for indirectly participating in the Russo-Japanese War. During the Battles of Port Arthur, it was stripped of its guns for use on land, and later, it was sunk, blocking the entrance to the port.

Gunboats in service with the Russian Navy

In July 2022, it was reported that the Russians had incorporated two captured Ukrainian gunboats into their Black Sea Fleet. The same year, they were tested in occupied Sevastopol.

Later, new images of the boats the Russians had rearmed were published online: instead of remotely controlled KAU-30M remote weapon stations, they were equipped with archaic double-barreled 25-mm 2M-3M automatic naval guns.

The KAU-30M module is armed with a stabilized 30-mm ZTM-1 automatic cannon, a 30-mm KBA-117 automatic grenade launcher, a KT-7.62 machine gun, and a Skif ATGM.

In addition, it is equipped with television and thermal imaging cameras that provide a target detection range of up to 10 kilometers.

Replacing modern weapons with outdated Soviet gun systems is most likely associated with the inability to maintain some out-of-service units.

Most likely, the Russians will use the seized vessels for their intended purpose: patrolling rivers, lakes, outer raids, and coastal waters up to 50 miles (90 km) away.