Direct proof of use
The Project 10750 Sapfir / Lida-class minesweeper appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through Russian naval force movement rather than a confirmed mine-clearing action, firing incident, or combat loss. KCHF's RT-233 page records the inshore minesweeper as transferred to the Black Sea Fleet in July 2023 and transferred back to the Caspian Flotilla in 2024.
RussianShips.info separately lists RT-233 under the Caspian Flotilla with a note that it was in the Black Sea Fleet from June 2023. Defense Express adds Dnieper River Flotilla context by listing two Project 10750 minesweepers among Caspian Flotilla assets and describing part of the minesweeper force as suitable for Russia's announced Dnieper flotilla.
Sources: KCHF RT-233 Project 10750, RussianShips Project 10750, Defense Express Dnieper Flotilla plans
Timeline
The dated public record centers on RT-233's wartime fleet assignment. KCHF gives July 2023 as the transfer to the Black Sea Fleet and 2024 as the return to the Caspian Flotilla, while RussianShips.info records a Black Sea Fleet note from June 2023.
In March 2024, after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a Dnieper River Flotilla, Defense Express reported that Russian and Russian-linked discussion pointed toward Caspian Flotilla assets, including river minesweepers, artillery boats, landing craft, and other small vessels. That reporting identified Project 10750 boats as part of the Caspian inventory but did not confirm a named Project 10750 boat operating on the Dnieper.
Sources: KCHF RT-233 Project 10750, RussianShips Project 10750, Defense Express Dnieper Flotilla plans, Russian Navy Analysis Dnieper Flotilla
Role in the conflict
The sourced role is mine-countermeasure and riverine or littoral support context for Russia. KCHF describes the class as a small minesweeper developed to search for sea mines in port entrances, ports, and rivers, with fiberglass hull construction, Kabarga-A1 mine-search sonar, mine-search-and-destroyer gear, and several sweep options. Those characteristics explain why Project 10750 appears in Dnieper flotilla planning discussions rather than as a strike platform.
Defense Express framed the likely Dnieper flotilla task as supporting Russian landing operations and preventing similar Ukrainian actions in the Dnieper area below the destroyed Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and former Kakhovka Reservoir. A separate Russian Navy Analysis article described the flotilla as a river-boat formation and cited Russian commentary that river minesweepers, assault boats, and landing craft were expected elements.
The available sources support Russian fielding and planning context but leave the operational record narrow. They do not establish that RT-233 cleared mines, fought Ukrainian forces, was damaged, or operated on the Dnieper River; the direct conflict-use claim is limited to Black Sea Fleet transfer during the full-scale war and Project 10750 inclusion in Russian river-flotilla force discussions.
Sources: KCHF RT-233 Project 10750, Defense Express Dnieper Flotilla plans, Russian Navy Analysis Dnieper Flotilla
