Russian Corvette's stealthy journey from Black Sea to Caspian

The Montreux Convention restricts Russia's ability to move warships through the Turkish straits. Despite this, a Russian corvette of Project 22800 disappeared from the Black Sea. The ship Tucza was found in a completely different body of water. How is this possible?

Until recently, the Russian missile corvette Tucza, belonging to the Karakurt class (project 22800), was stationed in the port of Novorossiysk alongside other ships.

These are small but, for their displacement, heavily armed ships. The first units of this type entered service in 2015, and Russia, despite serious problems with its fleet, is building them at an impressive rate. Currently, 13 16 planned units have been launched, although most have not yet entered service.

Karakurt class corvettes displace about 800 tonnes and are 67 metres (about 220 feet) long, so they are very small for their class. Their crew consists of up to 70 officers and sailors, and the ships can move at a speed of up to 30 knots and travel up to 4,000 kilometres. Their autonomy is estimated at two weeks.

Despite their small size, the karakurts carry a formidable arsenal. In addition to the AK-176 cannon with a 76 mm calibre and an anti-aircraft missile system Pancyr-M, their decks have space for two four-chamber launchers for Oniks or Kalibr missiles.

As satellite images showed, the Russian Karakurt-class corvette Tucza disappeared from the port of Novorossiysk, where it had been stationed until recently. Although the ship did not pass through the Dardanelles—which in the event of war is restricted by the Montreux Convention—it was found on a completely different body of water, the Caspian Sea.

In this case, the Russians transferred their ship through inland waters. Due to its small size and draught, karakurts can sail not only at sea but also along larger rivers.

The Russians previously used this capability and practised transferring small units between their five fleets using inland waters. The evacuation of Tucza from the Black Sea shows that transferring naval ships through a system of rivers and canals, practised during peacetime, also proved useful in wartime conditions.