The Project 775 Ropucha-class landing ship is a Polish-built Soviet tank landing ship family designed to beach troops, vehicles, and cargo directly ashore. Built at Stocznia Polnocna in Gdansk for the Soviet Navy, the 28-ship class became a visible Russian transport and amphibious threat in the Black Sea during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where Ukrainian strikes later removed or damaged several ships.
Russian Project 775/Ropucha-class landing ships formed part of the Black Sea amphibious buildup and later served as transport and logistics assets; Ukrainian strikes damaged or destroyed class members including Minsk, Olenegorsky Gornyak, Novocherkassk, and Tsezar Kunikov.
Role detailsProject 775 covers the main Ropucha production batches, while the final three improved ships are generally described as Project 775M or Ropucha II.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project 775 | Original Ropucha / Ropucha I batches | The main production configuration used twin 57 mm AK-725 gun mounts and Grad-M rocket launchers. Sources: Project 775 class, Large landing ships - Project 775 |
| Project 775M | Improved Ropucha II batch | The final three ships changed the gun fit to a 76 mm AK-176M forward gun and two 30 mm AK-630 mounts aft. Sources: Project 775 class, Large landing ships - Project 775 |
Project 775 ships with the A-215 / MS-73 Grad-M installation carried navalized 122 mm Grad-family rockets for shore bombardment.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 122 mm artillery rocket | WeaponSystems.net identifies the A-215 Grad-M as a naval 122 mm launcher that fires 9M22-family rockets, while the Project 775 sources document Grad-M launchers and rocket stowage on the ship class. Sources: A-215 Grad-M, Project 775 class, Large landing ships - Project 775 |
WeaponsSystems.net and RussianShips.info place Project 775 production at Stocznia Polnocna in Gdansk beginning in 1974.
Sources: Project 775 class, Large landing ships - Project 775
WeaponsSystems.net lists the Project 775 class as entering service in 1977.
Sources: Project 775 class
USNI News reported that three Ropucha-class tank landing ships entered the Black Sea as Russia massed amphibious forces ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: UPDATED: Russian Navy Amphibious Group Enters Black Sea as Warships Mass in the Mediterranean
Reuters-syndicated reporting said the Ropucha-class landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak was damaged during a Ukrainian sea drone attack near Novorossiysk.
Sources: Russian navy vessel damaged in drone attack – Ukrainian source
RFE/RL reported that a Ukrainian air strike hit the large Russian landing ship Novocherkassk in occupied Crimea.
Sources: Ukrainian Air Force Claims Destruction Of Russian Ship In Crimea
Reuters-syndicated reporting said Ukraine destroyed the landing ship Tsezar Kunikov in a naval drone attack off occupied Crimea.
Sources: Ukrainian forces destroy large Russian landing ship, military says
