Direct proof of use
Russian BK-16 / Project 02510 high-speed assault craft appear in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record through visually documented losses, Ukrainian military strike reporting, and Russian-linked reporting on their Black Sea defensive role. Oryx lists one Russian Project 02510 BK-16 high-speed assault boat destroyed by a Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 during the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence later summarized an April 2025 strike near occupied Crimea in which a BK-16 was hit in the engine compartment and sank while a Raptor-class craft was damaged. Ukrainian General Staff-derived reporting in February and March 2026 placed additional BK-16 transport and landing craft near Novoozerne in occupied Crimea among Russian military targets hit by Ukrainian forces.
Sources: Oryx Naval Losses, Ukraine MoD Black Sea Fleet losses, United24 February BK-16 strike, United24 March BK-16 strike
Timeline
The first cataloged loss is Oryx's 2022 entry for one Russian Project 02510 BK-16 high-speed assault boat destroyed by a Bayraktar TB2. The entry places the boat among Russian patrol-boat losses during the full-scale invasion and ties the loss to photo or video evidence in Oryx's naval-loss methodology.
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence describes a later coordinated operation near the coast of temporarily occupied Crimea on 2025-04-01 involving unmanned aerial systems and next-generation unmanned surface vehicles. It says a group of vessels conducting patrol and coastal-security tasks was struck, the BK-16 sustained a direct hit to the engine compartment and sank, and a Raptor-class craft was severely damaged.
In February 2026, United24 Media reported, citing Ukraine's General Staff, that Ukrainian forces hit a BK-16 transport and landing craft near Novoozerne in occupied Crimea on 2026-02-12. A March 2026 United24 report, also citing the General Staff, said another BK-16 transport and landing craft was hit near Novoozerne during strikes on 2026-03-07 and overnight into 2026-03-08, with final damage assessment still underway.
Sources: Oryx Naval Losses, Ukraine MoD Black Sea Fleet losses, United24 February BK-16 strike, United24 March BK-16 strike
Narrative
The documented conflict role is coastal mobility, patrol, and force protection rather than large-ship amphibious assault. Rosoboronexport describes the BK-16E export craft as a high-speed assault and landing boat for deploying assault groups on unequipped shores, providing fire support, countering piracy and terrorism, medical evacuation, and assisting distressed craft. In the Russia-Ukraine War record, the craft appears around the Black Sea and occupied Crimea as a small high-speed Russian platform exposed to Ukrainian UAV and uncrewed-surface-vehicle attacks.
The April 2025 Ministry of Defence summary is the clearest role statement for wartime use: it says the struck BK-16 and accompanying Raptor-class craft were conducting patrol and coastal-security tasks near occupied Crimea and that losing the high-speed vessels degraded Russian coastal reconnaissance. The February and March 2026 reports support continued Russian use around Novoozerne, a settlement by Lake Donuzlav in occupied Crimea.
Russian-linked reporting adds a defensive counter-USV claim. URA.RU reported that a Kalashnikov representative said Project 02510 BK-16 craft were being used in the Black Sea to guard waters and strategic facilities against Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels, with onboard weapons used to suppress or destroy targets. That claim is useful for the reported role, but it is attributed to the manufacturer-side statement rather than treated as independent battle-damage confirmation.
Sources: BK-16E high-speed assault-landing boat, Ukraine MoD Black Sea Fleet losses, United24 February BK-16 strike, United24 March BK-16 strike, URA.RU BK-16 counter-USV report
