Direct proof of use
Gyurza-M class gunboats appear in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record through named Ukrainian Navy hulls. Bellingcat's investigation of the 25 November 2018 Kerch Strait incident identified Berdyansk and Nikopol among the Ukrainian vessels intercepted and captured by Russian forces, with Berdyansk fired on during the incident.
After Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion, Oryx listed five Ukrainian Gyurza-M class gunboats in its naval-loss record, including Lubny sunk and later raised by Russia, one damaged boat, and Akkerman, Vyshhorod, and Kremenchuk captured. Separate reporting by The War Zone and Naval News documented a November 2022 Lancet strike on a Ukrainian Gyurza-M class patrol boat, while Naval News and Defense Express documented Bucha entering Ukrainian service in 2023 and appearing in waterborne mobile fire-group footage.
Sources: Bellingcat Kerch Strait Investigation, Oryx Naval Losses, The War Zone Lancet Strike, Naval News Lancet Strike, Naval News Bucha Commissioning, Defense Express Bucha Air Defense
Timeline
The documented conflict-use sequence begins before the 2022 escalation. On 25 November 2018, Berdyansk and Nikopol were part of the Ukrainian Navy group stopped at Kerch Strait; Bellingcat assessed the shooting of Berdyansk and the later capture of the vessels from the public evidence and claims available at the time.
During the full-scale invasion, loss tracking and reporting placed the class in the maritime fighting around southern Ukraine. Oryx listed named Gyurza-M losses and captures, Naval News reported the 4 November 2022 Lancet strike on a Ukrainian Gyurza-M boat, and The War Zone later reported the struck vessel was near Ochakiv and expected to be repaired.
In 2023, Bucha added a surviving-service milestone. Naval News reported that the final Project 58155 boat was commissioned in Kyiv on 26 May 2023 for the Ukrainian Navy, and Defense Express later identified Bucha in footage of waterborne mobile fire groups in the northern operational zone.
Sources: Bellingcat Kerch Strait Investigation, Oryx Naval Losses, Naval News Lancet Strike, The War Zone Lancet Strike, Naval News Bucha Commissioning, Defense Express Bucha Air Defense
Narrative
The class's wartime role is best described as Ukrainian riverine, harbor, littoral, and force-protection service rather than a single decisive weapons effect. Defense Express described Project 58155 boats as small armored artillery boats for coastal watch, patrol, fighting small enemy vessels, protecting coastal facilities and structures, and assisting landing and border groups; Naval News described Bucha's assignment to the river flotilla formed in the Kyiv region.
The 2018 Kerch Strait incident shows the class in Ukrainian naval transit and confrontation with Russian forces. Berdyansk and Nikopol were not documented there as conducting offensive fire; the record supports their presence as Ukrainian Navy vessels intercepted, fired on, boarded, and captured in a maritime escalation within the wider war.
The post-2022 record shows both attrition and continued service. Oryx's loss list supports the captured, damaged, and sunk-or-raised status of several named boats, while the Lancet reporting documents a Russian strike against a Ukrainian Gyurza-M. Bucha's 2023 commissioning and later appearance with waterborne mobile fire groups support continued Ukrainian use on inland waterways, including an air-defense-adjacent force-protection role in the northern operational zone.
Sources: Defense Express Bucha Air Defense, Naval News Bucha Commissioning, Bellingcat Kerch Strait Investigation, Oryx Naval Losses, The War Zone Lancet Strike, Naval News Lancet Strike
