Engineering:Vishnya-class intelligence ship

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Short description: Spy ship class

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SSV-208 Kurily in 2005

The Vishnya class (NATO reporting name) (also known as the Meridian class),[1] Soviet designation Project 864,[1] are a group of intelligence collection ships built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. The ships continue in service with the Russian Navy.[2] The Russian Navy operates seven of these ships.[1]

Design

These ships are large, purpose built ships designed for signals intelligence gathering via an extensive array of sensors.[3] The data could be transmitted to shore via satellite link antennas housed in two large radomes. The ships are armed with two AK-630 close-in weapon systems and SA-N-8 surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers, for last resort self-defense.

Operations

On September 23, 2012, SSV Viktor Leonov was at dock in Havana.[4][5] Other ships visited in 2013.[6]

On February 27, 2014, SSV Viktor Leonov docked in Havana’s cruise ship area, the same day Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia would establish permanent bases in Cuba, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Singapore, and the Seychelle islands.[7][8][5][9][10]

Vasily Tatishchev was deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea on 5 October 2015 to monitor the conflict in Syria.[11]

On January 20, 2015, SSV Viktor Leonov was at dock in Havana.[12]

On February 15, 2017, CNN reported that SSV Viktor Leonov,[13][4] a Russian spy ship was sitting 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Connecticut.[14] This is the farthest north the Russian spy vessel has ever ventured, according to US defense officials. CNN later reported that Viktor Leonov, which conducted similar patrols in 2014 and 2015,[15] was off the coast of Delaware, but typically she only travels as far north as Virginia.[16][17] The ship is based with Russia's Northern Fleet but had stopped over in Cuba before conducting her patrol along the Atlantic Coast and is expected to return there following her latest mission. She was spotted operating off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia in December 2019. The United States Coast Guard at the time published a MSIB alleging unsafe operations being performed in that area, including running without navigation lights, and failing to respond to hails. The ship is outfitted with a variety of high-tech interception equipment and is designed to intercept signals intelligence. The official said that the US Navy was "keeping a close eye on it.".[18]

In the documentary series Warship: Life at Sea, filmed aboard Royal Navy type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland in Autumn 2020,[19] SSV Viktor Leonov is featured loitering off the British coast where she was suspected to be attempting to surveil a US Navy submarine en route to a British port. The Duke-class frigate took up a defensive posture between the two vessels and employed noise-making countermeasures to interfere with intelligence gathering. On the same patrol, Northumberland was involved in a further incident while tracking an unnamed Russian SSN, when the submarine collided with the frigate's towed-array sonar.[20]

On November 14, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard informed that the russian spy ship Kareliya was spotted 15 nautical miles south of Oahu on October 29, 2025. The ship has been monitored for several days by Coast Guard sea and air assets. [21]

Ships

Name Hull No. Laid down Launched Commissioned Fleet Status Notes
Fedor Golovin
(ex-Meridian) 		520 14 November 1985 Baltic Fleet Active
Kareliya 535 5 July 1986 Pacific Fleet Active as of 2026[22][23][24] [25][26][27][28]Spotted near Hawaii in October 2025 [21]
Tavriya 169 17 January 1987 Northern Fleet In reserve Part donor for Viktor Leonov[29]
Priazovye 201 12 June 1987 Black Sea Fleet Active as of 2023 Reportedly thwarted drone attack in June 2023 while protecting gas pipelines in the southeastern Black Sea[30][31]
Kurily 208 16 October 1987 Pacific Fleet Active as of 2025[32]
missing name
(ex-Pelengator) 		231 27 November 1987 23 July 1988 Baltic Fleet Active as of 2024[33] In 2021 deployed to the Red Sea,[34] in July 2022 to the Adriatic Sea[35]
Viktor Leonov
(ex-Odograf) 		175 1988 Northern Fleet Active as of 2025[36] In 2019–2020 active off U.S. and U.K., docks in Havana[37]

See also

  • List of ships of the Soviet Navy
  • List of ships of Russia by project number

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Project 864". 2015. http://www.deagel.com/Auxiliary-Vessels/Project-864_a003011001.aspx. "The Project 864, also known as the Vishnya and Meridian, is an electronic surveillance and intelligence gathering ship built by Stocznia Polnocna shipyard in Gdansk (Poland) for the Soviet Union's Navy in the 1980s." 
  2. ↑ Toppan, Andrew (18 October 2001). "World Navies Today: Russian General Support Auxiliaries". http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/russia/aux_othr.htm/. 
  3. ↑ "864 Vishnya class". 2015. http://warfare.be/db/catid/296/linkid/2112/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "RFS VIKTOR LEONOV CCB175". http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1654711. "Ship Photos and Ship Tracker" 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Winter, Michael (27 February 2014). "Russian spy ship visits Havana". USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/02/27/russia-cuba-warship/5876249/. 
  6. ↑ "What's an advanced Russian warship doing in Havana harbor?" (in en-us). PBS NewsHour. 24 June 2019. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/whats-an-advanced-russian-warship-doing-in-havana-harbor. 
  7. ↑ "Why did Russia send spy ship to Cuba?: No word from Communist nation as armed vessel docks in Havana" (in en). National Post. AFP. 27 February 2014. https://nationalpost.com/news/world/why-did-russia-send-spy-ship-to-cuba-no-word-from-communist-nation-as-armed-vessel-docks-in-havana. 
  8. ↑ Ellis, R. Evan. The New Russian Engagement with Latin America: Strategic Position, Commerce, and Dreams of the Past. United States Army War College. http://publications.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/2345.pdf. 
  9. ↑ "Russian Navy Ships Take Part in Anti-Drug Drills in Caribbean". 30 April 2014. https://www.hondurasnews.com/russian-navy-ships-take-part-in-anti-drug-drills-in-caribbean/. 
  10. ↑ Oppenheimer, Andres (March 30, 2014). "Russian military bases in Latin America?". Stabroek News (Lacytown, Georgetown, Guyana.). https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/03/30/features/russian-military-bases-latin-america/. 
  11. ↑ Pike, John (15 March 2017). "Vishnya Meridian Project 864 class". http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/vishnya-class.htm. 
  12. ↑ "CubaBrief: The Russian reset 10 years later, its expanded military role in Latin America, and the possibility of a new crisis". May 6, 2020. https://www.cubacenter.org/archives/2020/5/6/cubabrief-the-russian-reset-10-years-later-its-expanded-military-role-in-latin-america-and-the-possibility-of-a-new-crisis. "Russian spy ship Viktor Leonov at the port in Havana, January 20, 2015." 
  13. ↑ "Russian navy ships on patrol in the Caribbean". Curaçao Chronicle. 8 May 2014. http://curacaochronicle.com/local/russian-navy-ships-on-patrol-in-the-caribbean/. 
  14. ↑ Taube, David (16 February 2017). "Congressman: Russian spy ship loitering by Connecticut" (in en). WXII. https://www.wxii12.com/article/congressman-russian-spy-ship-loitering-by-connecticut/8878248. 
  15. ↑ Bostock, Bill. "US accuses Russian spy ship of 'unsafe' maneuvers off US east coast for sailing with no warning lights, ignoring other ships, and risking a crash". Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-accuses-russian-spy-ship-leonov-unsafe-conduct-florida-coast-2019-12. 
  16. ↑ Vergakis, Brock (January 24, 2018). "U.S. Navy tracks Russian spy ship 30 miles off Virginia coast". The Virginian-Pilot. https://www.pilotonline.com/military/article_522dea64-879c-5394-96a1-a445069a530d.html. 
  17. ↑ Martinez, Luis (March 16, 2017). "Russian spy ship returns to East Coast of US" (in en). ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/International/russian-spy-ship-returns-east-coast-us/story?id=46172968. 
  18. ↑ Browne, Ryan; Starr, Barbara (16 February 2017). "Russian spy ship lurks off Connecticut coast". http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/15/politics/russian-spy-plane-off-connecticut-coast/index.html. 
  19. ↑ "HMS Northumberland gets up close with a Russian submarine". 7 January 2022. https://www.navylookout.com/hms-northumberland-gets-up-close-with-a-russian-submarine/. 
  20. ↑ Keane, Daniel (2022-01-07). "Russian submarine collided with Royal Navy warship in North Atlantic" (in en). https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/russian-submarine-collided-royal-navy-warship-north-atlantic-b975392.html. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Russian military spy ship tracked by U.S. Coast Guard just 15 miles off Hawaii coast - CBS News" (in en-US). 2025-11-14. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-military-spy-ship-hawaii-us-coast-guard/. 
  22. ↑ Chan, Ryan (15 January 2026). "Russian Spy Ship Sails Around US Ally’s Strategic Islands". https://www.newsweek.com/russian-spy-ship-sails-around-us-allys-strategic-islands-11365768. 
  23. ↑ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (11 February 2025). "Chinese, Russian Surveillance Assets Linger off Japan". https://news.usni.org/2025/02/11/chinese-russian-surveillance-assets-linger-off-japan. 
  24. ↑ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (2026-01-27). "Russian Surveillance Ship Departs Japan’s Southwest Region, Chinese Surveillance Ship Passes Through" (in en-US). https://news.usni.org/2026/01/27/russian-surveillance-ship-departs-japans-region-chinese-surveillance-ship-passes-through. 
  25. ↑ "UPDATED: Russian Navy Surveillance Ship Quietly Operating off Hawaii". USNI News. 26 May 2021. https://news.usni.org/2021/05/26/russian-navy-surveillance-ship-quietly-operating-off-hawaii. 
  26. ↑ "ТОФ возвращает в строй СРЗК "Карелия"" (in ru). 20 July 2017. http://vestiprim.ru/news/ptrnews/52545-tof-vozvraschaet-v-stroy-srzk-kareliyafoto.html. 
  27. ↑ "Vishnya-class Intelligence Ship Karelia rejoined the Russian Pacific Fleet". 24 July 2017. http://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2017/july-2017-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/5417-vishnya-class-intelligence-ship-karelia-rejoined-the-russian-pacific-fleet.html. 
  28. ↑ "A Russian spy ship has been sailing around Hawaii for days". American Military News. 12 January 2022. https://americanmilitarynews.com/2022/01/a-russian-spy-ship-has-been-sailing-around-hawaii-for-days/. 
  29. ↑ "Состояние Разведывательных Кораблей Вмф России. Аналитика". https://balabin-1712.livejournal.com/24157.html. 
  30. ↑ "Russia says Ukraine tried to attack Russian ship near major gas pipelines in Black Sea". 11 June 2023. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-ukraine-tried-attack-russian-ship-near-major-gas-pipelines-black-sea-2023-06-11/. 
  31. ↑ "Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk04/2021". 26 January 2021. https://russianfleetanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/01/russian-forces-in-mediterranean-wk042021.html. 
  32. ↑ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (15 August 2025). "Russia, China's Annual Joint Pacific Patrol Underway". https://news.usni.org/2025/08/15/russia-chinas-annual-joint-pacific-patrol-underway. 
  33. ↑ ES&T Redaktion (2024-06-26). "Bemerkenswerte russische Schiffsbewegungen vor der Haustür" (in de-DE). https://esut.de/2024/06/meldungen/51021/bemerkenswerte-russische-schiffsbewegungen-vor-der-haustuer/. 
  34. ↑ "Russian Warships Visit Port Sudan amidst Reports of Khartoum Suspending Naval Base Deal". 8 May 2021. https://www.defenseworld.net/news/29534/Russian_Warships_Visit_Port_Sudan_amidst_Reports_of_Khartoum_Suspending_Naval_Base_Deal#.YNW9U-gzYww. 
  35. ↑ "Russian Navy in the Adriatic sea. Why?". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2djiD3mDXz4. 
  36. ↑ Kusier, Kamil (17 April 2025). "Another Russian spy ship enters the Mediterranean Sea". https://dailymare.com/news/another-russian-spy-ship-enters-the-mediterranean-sea,1261. 
  37. ↑ "Russian intelligence ship Viktor Leonov arrives in Havana". 5 March 2020. https://navalpost.com/russian-intelligence-ship-viktor-leonov-arrives-in-havana/. 

Template:Soviet and Russian ships after 1945



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