2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Project 205P / Stenka-class Patrol Boat in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Project 205P/Stenka-class patrol boats appear in the Russia-Ukraine War record through Ukrainian Sea Guard loss and seizure evidence at Mariupol in 2022 and a Russian Project 205P/Tarantul boat sunk near Sevastopol after late-December 2023 Ukrainian strike activity.

Weapon profileProject 205P / Stenka-class patrol boat
SideRussiaUkraineRoleForce ProtectionCaptured, Seized & Recovered
Project 205P / Stenka-class patrol boat, Coast guard anti-submarine patrol boat, Naval Systems - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Anapa 205P Photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Ukrainian Sea Guard Stenka-class Donbas/BG-32 was reported seized by Russian forces at Mariupol in April 2022.

Sources: Army Recognition Mariupol Seizure

A Russian Project 205P/Tarantul, NATO Stenka-class, was reported submerged at Hrafska Bay in occupied Sevastopol.

Sources: Defense Express Sevastopol Sinking

Satellite-image reporting placed the Sevastopol sinking in the December 28-31, 2023 window, with Defense Express citing December 29-30 as likely.

Sources: Defense Express Satellite Confirmation, Army Recognition Sevastopol Sinking

Open-source naval chronology records a Russian Navy Project 205P Stenka-class patrol boat observed sunk at a Sevastopol pier during December 28-30, 2023.

Sources: Covert Shores Black Sea Timeline

Timeline

Project 205P / Stenka-class patrol boat In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. Donbas reported seized at Mariupol

    Army Recognition reported that a Ukrainian Stenka-class patrol boat Donbas, identified as BG-32, was seized by Russian forces in Mariupol based on information published on April 19, 2022.

    Sources: Army Recognition Mariupol Seizure

  2. Sevastopol sinking window opens

    Army Recognition reported that satellite imagery placed the sinking of a Russian Project 205P/Tarantul-class patrol boat near Sevastopol between December 28 and 31, 2023.

    Sources: Army Recognition Sevastopol Sinking

  3. InformNapalm analysis points to December 29-30

    Defense Express cited InformNapalm satellite imagery and human-source analysis indicating that the Project 205P/Tarantul ship in Sevastopol likely sank on December 29-30, 2023.

    Sources: Defense Express Satellite Confirmation

  4. Submerged Project 205P reported at Hrafska Bay

    Defense Express reported Atesh claims that a Russian Project 205P Tarantul border patrol ship was submerged at the Hrafska Bay pier in occupied Sevastopol.

    Sources: Defense Express Sevastopol Sinking

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The Project 205P/Stenka class is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through specific naval loss and capture reporting rather than confirmed use of its torpedo or depth-charge armament. Army Recognition reported that Russian forces seized the Ukrainian Stenka-class patrol boat Donbas at Mariupol after a source post dated April 19, 2022, and identified the vessel as BG-32.

The Russian-side record is tied to Sevastopol. Defense Express reported on January 18, 2024 that a Russian Project 205P Tarantul, NATO reporting name Stenka, was found submerged at Hrafska Bay in occupied Sevastopol. A follow-up Defense Express report cited InformNapalm satellite-image analysis and placed the likely sinking window on December 29-30, 2023, while Army Recognition, citing ISW and satellite imagery, described Ukrainian strikes against occupied Crimea in late December 2023 as causing the sinking of a Russian Project 205P Tarantul-class patrol boat near Sevastopol.

Sources: Army Recognition Mariupol Seizure, Defense Express Sevastopol Sinking, Defense Express Satellite Confirmation, Army Recognition Sevastopol Sinking

Timeline

The documented sequence begins in the Siege of Mariupol, where Donbas was reported seized by Russian forces in April 2022. By late December 2023, open-source and partisan reporting shifted to occupied Crimea, where the Project 205P/Tarantul hull at Hrafska Bay was reported submerged after Ukrainian strike activity around Sevastopol.

The Sevastopol episode was reported publicly in January 2024. Defense Express first attributed the discovery to Atesh partisan reporting, then cited InformNapalm's satellite-image confirmation. Army Recognition reported that satellite imagery corroborated the coordinates supplied by Atesh and placed the incident between December 28 and 31, 2023.

Sources: Army Recognition Mariupol Seizure, Defense Express Sevastopol Sinking, Defense Express Satellite Confirmation, Army Recognition Sevastopol Sinking

Narrative

In this conflict, the class is best treated as coastal patrol and seized or destroyed naval materiel. The Ukrainian Donbas case shows a Sea Guard Stenka-class boat in the Mariupol port-loss context, while the Sevastopol case shows a Russian-operated Project 205P/Tarantul boat vulnerable at a fixed harbor location during Ukraine's wider campaign against Russian naval assets in occupied Crimea.

The available sources support possession, seizure, harbor presence, and loss. They do not establish a specific torpedo, depth-charge, or gun engagement by a Project 205P boat in the war. H. I. Sutton's Black Sea timeline independently records a Russian Navy Project 205P Stenka-class patrol boat observed sunk at a pier in Sevastopol during December 28-30, 2023, and notes that it was reputedly hit by a Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessel.

Sources: Army Recognition Mariupol Seizure, Defense Express Sevastopol Sinking, Defense Express Satellite Confirmation, Army Recognition Sevastopol Sinking, Covert Shores Black Sea Timeline

Images

Conflict Context

Ukrainian Sea Guard Stenka-class patrol boat BG-32 Donbas in the Black Sea before the full-scale invasion
BG-32 Donbas, the Ukrainian Sea Guard Stenka-class patrol boat later reported seized at Mariupol.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons BG-32 Photo

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Sources