Naval Systems

Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper

Also known as
  • Natya class
  • Natya-class minesweeper
  • Project 266M
  • Project 266M Akvamarin
  • Project 266-M
  • Akvamarin class minesweeper
  • Semyon Roshal class

Project 266M Akvamarin, known to NATO as the Natya class, is a Soviet ocean minesweeper family built mainly by Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard. The class paired a low-magnetic steel hull with mine-search sonar, contact, magnetic, and acoustic sweeping gear, and Black Sea Fleet hulls have become documented targets in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper, Ocean minesweeper class, Naval Systems
Image source: IvanGolubets2005Sevastopol.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Force ProtectionArea Denial

Project 266M/Natya-family minesweepers appear on both sides of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War: USNI reported Ukrainian Natya I hulls lost during Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea, while Ukrainian and naval reporting document Russian Ivan Golubets, Kovrovets, and Valentin Pikul being damaged, destroyed, or sunk in later Black Sea strikes.

Role details
Design And War Record

The Natya-family hulls were designed for ocean mine countermeasures rather than high-end surface combat. Their 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record is mostly a Black Sea fleet-support and attrition story: Ukrainian hulls were lost in Crimea, then Russian Black Sea Fleet hulls were damaged or destroyed in port and base attacks.

TopicDocumented detailWhy it matters
Mine-countermeasure designLow-magnetic steel construction, sonar-assisted mine detection, stern sweep handling, and contact, magnetic, acoustic, and detonating-cord sweeping gear.Explains why the class matters even without missile armament.
Variant splitProject 266ME, 266MES, 02666, and 02668 entries differ in export fit, trial role, propulsion, endurance, weapons, and mine-search systems.Separates baseline Soviet hulls from export and late modernized ships.
Black Sea lossesUkraine lost Natya hulls in Crimea; Russian Ivan Golubets, Kovrovets, and Valentin Pikul were later reported damaged, destroyed, or sunk.Connects a Cold War mine-warfare class to current Black Sea naval attrition.
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Ocean minesweeper class
Service note
Cold War-present
Produced
1969-2008, including late Project 02668 completion
Number built
58 Natya-family ships reported by KCHF; RussianShips.info lists 58 plus 3 additional completed units across Project 266M/ME/MES/02666/02668.
Developed from
Project 266 Yurka-class minesweeper

Specifications

Displacement
745 tons standard / 800 tons full load
Dimensions
61 x 10.2 x 2.97 m
Propulsion
2 x M-503B-3 diesel engines; 2 fixed-pitch propellers in nozzles
Speed
17 knots
Range
2,700 nmi at 12 knots
Mine countermeasures
KIU search-and-destroy device, BKT or GKT contact sweep, TEM magnetic sweep, AT acoustic sweep, and ShZ detonating cord, with variant-specific changes
Electronics
MR-302 Rubka air/surface search radar, Don-D navigation radars, Nikhrom-R IFF, MG-69/MG-79 mine-search sonars, and related underwater communications equipment
Crew
68 (6 officers)
Armament
2 x 2 30 mm AK-230M, 2 x 2 25 mm 2M-3M, 2 x 5 RBU-1200M, and mine-sweeping gear
Variants

Project 266M was the baseline Akvamarin/Natya ocean minesweeper. RussianShips.info separates export, special-purpose, and modernized descendants under Project 266ME, 266MES, 02666, and 02668 designations.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Project 266MEExport variant

RussianShips.info lists Project 266ME as the principal export build, with differences including slightly higher displacement, longer endurance, Igla-1 launchers, AK-306 guns on later hulls, and export mine-sweeping equipment.

Sources: RussianShips Project 266M

Project 266MESExport subvariant

RussianShips.info lists one Project 266MES unit laid down under Project 266ME before completion as the MES subvariant.

Sources: RussianShips Project 266M

Project 02666Trials/specialized variant

RussianShips.info lists Strelok as a one-unit Project 02666 ship and notes its later trials-ship service.

Sources: RussianShips Project 266M

Project 02668 AgatModernized variant

RussianShips.info lists Vice-admiral Zakharin as the one Project 02668 Agat unit and records updated displacement, propulsion, armament, and mine-search equipment compared with baseline Project 266M.

Sources: RussianShips Project 266M

Timeline

Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper Key Events

  1. Crimea seizure removes Ukrainian Natya hulls

    USNI reported that Ukraine lost two Project 266M Natya I-class minesweepers during Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea.

    Sources: USNI Eastern European Navies Expand as Russian Occupation of Ukraine Drags On

  2. Ivan Golubets takes damage in Sevastopol

    The New Voice of Ukraine reported minor damage to the Project 266M minesweeper Ivan Golubets after the Sevastopol drone attack.

    Sources: NV Ivan Golubets damage

  3. Kovrovets is reported destroyed

    Ukraine's Navy and later Ministry of Defence reporting said the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Project 266M minesweeper Kovrovets was destroyed or rendered non-operational in Sevastopol.

    Sources: UP Kovrovets destroyed, Ukraine MoD Black Sea Fleet losses, Euromaidan Press Kovrovets destroyed

  4. Valentin Pikul struck at Novorossiysk

    Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said the Project 266ME/Natya-family minesweeper Valentin Pikul sank in a Novorossiysk attack, while Naval News reported significant confirmed damage to the vessel.

    Sources: Ukraine MoD Black Sea Fleet losses, Naval News Novorossiysk strike

Media

Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper Videos

Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper Images

Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper, Ocean minesweeper class, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: Kovrovec 09 550.jpg
Project 266M Akvamarin / Natya-class minesweeper, Ocean minesweeper class, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: Cherkasy U311 2012 G1.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
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Alexandrit class / Project 12700, Coastal mine countermeasures vessel, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsAlexandrit class / Project 12700Coastal mine countermeasures vesselThe Alexandrit class, Russian Project 12700, is a Russian mine-countermeasures vessel class designed by Almaz and built by Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard for the Russian Navy. The class combines a monolithic fiberglass vacuum-infusion hull with trawls and unmanned mine-hunting vehicles, and it entered the Russia-Ukraine war record when Ukrainian intelligence said it disabled the Baltic Fleet lead ship Aleksandr Obukhov at Baltiysk in October 2024.
Project 1265 Yakhont / Sonya-class minesweeper, Coastal minesweeper / minehunter, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsProject 1265 Yakhont / Sonya-class minesweeperCoastal minesweeper / minehunterThe Project 1265 Yakhont, better known as the Sonya-class minesweeper, is a Soviet wooden-hulled coastal mine-countermeasure vessel family built for shallow-water sweeping and minehunting work. RussianShips.info traces the baseline and export lines through Avangard and Vladivostok shipyards, while USNI News identifies Ukraine's Sonya-class minehunter as one of the mine-warfare vessels lost during Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
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Sources

KCHF Project 266M / Natya ClassPublisher: KCHF.RU | Note: Supports Project 266M background, Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard construction, service history, and class specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-29RussianShips Project 266MPublisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports Project 266M/ME/MES/02666/02668 designation structure, production counts, specifications, weapons, mine-countermeasure equipment, export operators, and late Project 02668 completion. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Natya-class minesweeper - WikipediaPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the class designation, broad service period, operators, developed-from relationship, and core class specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Project 266M Akvamarin categoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports class naming, manufacturer, origin, dimensions, and total-produced context for the Project 266M / Natya class family. | Accessed: 2026-06-29USNI Eastern European Navies Expand as Russian Occupation of Ukraine Drags OnPublisher: U.S. Naval Institute | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use/loss context by reporting that Ukraine lost two Project 266M Natya I-class minesweepers during Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea. | Accessed: 2026-06-29NV Ivan Golubets damagePublisher: The New Voice of Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use/damage context by reporting Russian claims of damage to the Project 266M minesweeper Ivan Golubets after the 29 October 2022 Sevastopol drone attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-29UP Kovrovets destroyedPublisher: Ukrainska Pravda | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use/loss context by reporting that Ukraine's Defence Forces destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet Project 266M minesweeper Kovrovets on 19 May 2024. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Euromaidan Press Kovrovets destroyedPublisher: Euromaidan Press | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use/loss context by reporting the claimed destruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Project 266M minesweeper Kovrovets on 19 May 2024. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Ukraine MoD Black Sea Fleet lossesPublisher: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use/damage and loss context by listing Ukrainian strikes against the Project 266M Ivan Golubets and Kovrovets and the Project 266ME Valentin Pikul. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Naval News Novorossiysk strikePublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict-use/damage context by reporting confirmed damage to the Project 266M/Natya-family minesweeper Valentin Pikul in the March 2026 Novorossiysk strike. | Accessed: 2026-06-29IvanGolubets2005Sevastopol.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance and licensing context for the Ivan Golubets photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Kovrovec 09 550.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing context for the Kovrovets photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Cherkasy U311 2012 G1.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and licensing context for the Cherkasy photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-29