Direct proof of use
The documented Russia-Ukraine War record for the class centers on Anatoly Zheleznyakov, hull 901, the Black Sea Fleet Project 12660 Rubin / Gorya seagoing minesweeper. A Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and General Staff-linked 2023 weapons catalog describes its scope as weapons and military equipment used by the opposing sides during the response to Russia's full-scale invasion from February 24, 2022 through June 2023, and lists the Project 12660 Rubin / Gorya minesweeper with hull 901 Anatoly Zheleznyakov under mine-warfare ships.
Marineforum's February 14, 2022 order-of-battle article independently placed Zheleznyakov in the Russian Black Sea Fleet as a Gorya-class Project 12660 deep-sea minesweeper immediately before the full-scale invasion.
Sources: Ukrainian General Staff Catalog 2023, Marineforum Black Sea Fleet 2022
Timeline
The open-source chronology supports fleet presence and cataloged use rather than a dated combat incident. Marineforum listed Zheleznyakov in the Black Sea Fleet on February 14, 2022, ten days before the full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian catalog, published in 2023, then listed the same hull among systems used during the February 24, 2022 to June 30, 2023 full-scale-war period.
Sources: Marineforum Black Sea Fleet 2022, Ukrainian General Staff Catalog 2023
Conflict role
Project 12660's sourced role in this conflict is mine countermeasures and fleet force protection, not a documented strike role. The Ukrainian catalog lists the ship with anti-mine equipment including Paltus, Ketmen, and Gyurza mine-destruction systems, while KCHF describes Zheleznyakov as a seagoing minesweeper for deep-ocean mine sweeping.
The record does not establish a specific mined area cleared by Zheleznyakov, a particular sortie, or a direct engagement with Ukrainian forces. It supports the narrower claim that Russia fielded the Gorya-class hull as part of its Black Sea Fleet mine-warfare inventory during the full-scale-war period.
Sources: Ukrainian General Staff Catalog 2023, KCHF Zheleznyakov Profile
