During its full-scale war against Ukraine, russia has suffered significant losses in the Black Sea, with four large landing ships — Minsk, Saratov, Novocherkassk, and Caesar Kunikov — confirmed destroyed, and another, Olenegorsky Gornyak, seriously damaged.
To compensate for these setbacks, the aggressor state is pushing ahead with the construction of Project 11711M Cayman-class large landing ships, reportedly capable of carrying Ka-52K attack helicopters. russian sources have already reported the "launch" of the first vessel in the series. However, that announcement comes with some peculiar caveats.
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According to Naval News, a "launch ceremony" for the landing ship Vladimir Andreyev took place in Baltiysk on May 30, 2025, attended by Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, Commander of the russian Navy. In this case, the word "launch" is largely symbolic — the vessel was merely moved from the Yantar Shipyard’s slipway to the floating dock PD-8. Technically, the RFS Vladimir Andreyev never even touched the waters of the Baltic Sea. The reason cited for this is the need for further outfitting before the ship can be officially commissioned.
Meanwhile, the same shipyard is also building another Project 11711M landing ship, the Vasily Trushin. Both vessels were laid down in 2019 and were initially scheduled for commissioning in 2023–2024. That timeline has now been pushed back to 2026. Initially, the first two Project 11711M ships were intended for the Pacific Fleet. However, in October 2023, russian propagandists began suggesting that the next two vessels in the series might instead be assigned to the Black Sea Fleet.
In practice, the "launched" Vladimir Andreyev already represents an indirect replacement for russia’s lost landing ships, as vessels from both the Baltic and Northern Fleets were among those destroyed in the Black Sea. This suggests a broader accounting of losses across the russian Navy, rather than a one-to-one replacement within individual fleets.
Project 11711M Cayman is an evolution of the earlier Project 11711 class. It offers enhanced capabilities, including greater capacity for troops and equipment, expanded helicopter support, and a significantly increased displacement. Specifically, the new ships are expected to carry up to four Ka-52K or Ka-29 helicopters, 26 main battle tanks, or up to six motorized rifle companies with armored personnel carriers. Their full displacement reaches an estimated 9,500 tons.
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