russian propaganda media reports that in the city of Baltiysk, in the Kaliningrad region of the russian federation, an official ceremony of raising the flag and entering the Baltic Fleet of the Valentin Rykov small-size replenishment oiler of project 03182 was held. At the same time, russian propagandists themselves determine that this event marks the completion of an entire epic with the ship, which turned out to be a real long-term project, since the process from the start of construction to commissioning took more than nine years.
The Valentin Rykov small-size replenishment tanker (ex-Vasiliy Nikitin – eventually this name was given to a marine tanker of another project) was laid down in March 2017 at the Volga Shipyard in Nizhny Novgorod, and four years later, in 2021, the ship was launched.
Read more: Ukraine Hits Key Fuel Infrastructure, Navy Arsenal, Baltic Fleet Facilities Near St. Petersburg (Video)
Two years later, the Valentin Rykov tanker was sent to the ship repair plant in St. Petersburg, where it was completed. A year later, in August 2024, factory tests began, and in December 2025, state tests. Now this small-size replenishment oiler has been commissioned into the 667th Detachment of Support Vessels tht is supporting the Baltic Fleet of the russian Navy and is based at the Baltiysk Naval Base.
The Valentin Rykov small-size replenishment tanker could be a not very difficult target for Ukrainian long-range strike UAVs, which, for example, recently distinguished themselves in a successful operation in the Caspian sea, where a russian warship and two dry cargo ships were hit. It should be noted that it can be quite ironic that a ship, on the construction and commissioning of which the russians spent a lot of time – almost a decade, can go to the bottom quite quickly – literally in minutes, thanks to Ukrainian drones.
But since this tanker is based in the Kaliningrad region, it is unlikely to be a priority target for the Defense Forces ща Ukraine – if only for the reason that in order to reach this ship, Ukrainian drones need to fly through Belarus and/or a number of European countries or fly through russia’s territory, overcoming several thousand kilometers.
The Valentin Rykov small-size replenishment oiler has a full displacement of 3,500 tons, a length of 78.8 m and a width of 15.4 m. The crew is 24 people with the possibility of accommodating eight more people. The ship has a platform for a Ka-27 helicopter. This helicopter is designed to perform various tasks – transportation of dry and liquid cargo, patrolling, emergency rescue operations, etc.
Earlier, Defense Express reported on how a russian ship in the Baltic Sea, which is escorting vessels of the "shadow fleet", came across danish USV. We also wrote that Ukrainian drones struck russian Boykiy corvette in russia’s Baltic Fleet Base.
Read more: Germany Tests Torpedo-Tube-Launched USV Which Could Help Counter russia in Baltic Sea
