Admiral Grigorovich

A Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate class, the Admiral Grigorovich (Project 11356R/Krivak V) delivers Kalibr cruise-missile land-attack strikes and provides multirole escort — a workhorse of Moscow's naval strike from the Black Sea.

Overview

The Admiral Grigorovich class, known in NATO reporting as Krivak V, is a guided-missile frigate built for the Russian Navy at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad. Three ships entered service between 2016 and 2017, all assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. Each hull carries an eight-cell vertical launch system (VLS) for Kalibr-NK land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles, giving the small class a strategic reach that has been used repeatedly against targets in Syria and Ukraine. Its multi-role suite also includes a medium-range surface-to-air missile system, anti-submarine torpedoes and a helicopter, making it a self-contained patrol and escort asset.

Development

The Project 11356R design is an evolution of the earlier Talwar-class (Project 11356) frigates built for the Indian Navy. The Russian Navy ordered six hulls, but only three were completed — the lead ship Admiral Grigorovich commissioned on 11 March 2016, followed by Admiral Essen (June 2016) and Admiral Makarov (December 2017) according to Wikipedia. The 2014 rupture in defence ties with Ukraine cut off the supply of Zorya-Mashproekt gas-turbine engines that powered the class, and the Russian industrial base proved unable to produce a domestic substitute in time to complete the second batch, as detailed by GlobalSecurity.org. The two unfinished hulls were eventually sold to India, completing their Talwar-class buy, while Russia’s own frigate program was capped at three Black Sea hulls.

Design & capabilities

The ship displaces an estimated 3,860–4,035 tons at full load, on a 124.8 m hull with a 15.2 m beam. Propulsion is a COGAG arrangement delivering about 46,000 hp for a top speed of around 30 kts and a range of roughly 4,850 nm at 14 kts. The offensive punch comes from a single eight-cell UKSK 3S14 vertical launch system that can fire the Kalibr-NK family of cruise missiles (land-attack and anti-ship variants) and is also compatible with the supersonic Oniks anti-ship missile, as outlined by Naval Technology. Area air defence is handled by a Shtil-1 system with 24 ready-to-fire 9M317 missiles, backed by two Kashtan close-in weapon systems and a 100 mm A-190 deck gun. Anti-submarine warfare is covered by 533 mm torpedo tubes, an RBU-6000 rocket launcher and a towed sonar. Sensors revolve around the Fregat-M2EM 3D radar and the Mineral-ME over-the-horizon targeting suite, supplemented by hull and towed sonar. A flight deck and hangar accommodate a single Ka-27 or Ka-31 helicopter.

Combat record / operational use

The three frigates have been among the most active surface combatants in the Russian Navy since their commissioning. They were employed to launch Kalibr cruise missiles against ground targets in Syria during the 2015–2018 intervention, and from February 2022 onward they struck targets across Ukraine from the Black Sea, as reported by Naval Technology. Their continued presence in the Black Sea has made them high-value targets for Ukrainian forces. In early April 2026, Ukrainian drones targeted the Admiral Grigorovich while it was moored in Novorossiysk port, prompting the ship to fire its air-defence missiles at the incoming unmanned systems, according to Euromaidan Press. The attack underscored both the frigate’s survival so far and its vulnerability in a theatre saturated with cheap, uncrewed strike systems.

Advantages

• Long-range Kalibr land-attack strike capability from a compact hull.
• Multi-role design covers anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine tasks.
• Proven combat experience — fired cruise missiles in Syria and Ukraine.
• Reasonable endurance of ~4,850 nm allows extended Black Sea patrols.
• Helicopter facility extends sensor reach for ASW and over-the-horizon targeting.

Drawbacks / limitations

• VLS cell count of only eight limits salvo size for land-attack or saturation strikes.
• Reliance on Ukrainian-sourced gas turbines capped the class at three ships.
• Shtil-1 air-defence system lacks the range and channel capacity of modern area-air-defence missiles.
• Fregat-M2EM radar is a mechanical-scanning system, not an AESA, limiting multi-target tracking under jamming.
• Small class size means any loss would significantly degrade the Black Sea Fleet’s surface strike power.

Counterparts

• FREMM (Europe)
• Type 054A (China)

Outlook

The Admiral Grigorovich class remains fully active in the Black Sea Fleet, with no replacement hulls in sight due to the domestic engine bottleneck. The ships will continue to serve as mobile Kalibr strike platforms, but they are increasingly exposed to Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels, anti-ship missiles and stand-off strikes. Their future utility depends on the Russian Navy’s ability to protect them in port and at sea, and on whether a follow-on engine program can eventually restart frigate construction in the 4,000-ton range. In the near term, the three hulls are likely to remain the most valuable surface assets in the fleet’s most contested theatre.

Key specifications

Sources

1. Naval Technology — Project 11356 Admiral Grigorovich Class Frigates — https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/project-11356-admiral-grigorovich-class-frigates/
2. RussianShips.info — Guard Ships – Project 11356 (Talwar Class) — https://russianships.info/eng/warships/project_11356.htm
3. GlobalSecurity.org — Project 1135.6 Admiral Grigorovich — https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/11356-program.htm
4. Wikipedia — Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_frigate_Admiral_Grigorovich
5. Euromaidan Press — Ukraine strikes Russian Frigate Admiral Grigorovich — https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/04/06/ukraine-strikes-russian-frigate-admiral-grigorovich-launching-its-air-defense-missiles-at-drones-in-novorossiysk-port/