In a notably low-key move, Russia has introduced to service a brand-new “rescue ship,” the Voyevoda, in the Baltic region. Meanwhile, despite being assigned to the Marine Rescue Service of Russia, there have been claims, from within Russia, that the ship is at the very least dual role, including serving as a presidential vessel. This has led to it being dubbed “Putin’s yacht” in some quarters, although there remain glaring questions about how realistic this proposition is.
The Voyevoda was delivered recently to the Baltic branch of the Marine Rescue Service (Morskaya Spasatelnaya Sluzhba in Russian) by Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade. This was reported by the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategy and Technologies (CAST), a defense think tank that has been following the progress of the Voyevoda, which belongs to the Project 23700 class, drafted by the Severnoye Design Bureau. It was also confirmed by the ministry’s press service.
Russia’s Marine Rescue Service has passed through various identities in recent years, but its main responsibility continues to be rescuing people at sea, with a secondary mission of pollution control. The service’s fleet of approximately 80 vessels includes multi-purpose ships, rescue tugs, diving vessels, and auxiliaries.
The Project 23700 class is a very large cutter, with a displacement of 7,500 metric tons, a length of 111 meters (364 feet), and a beam of 24 meters (79 feet). Its performance includes a speed of 22 knots and a range of 5,000 miles. The vessel can accommodate four small boats and two helicopters.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a contract for the construction of the vessel in December 2016. Its keel was laid at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad in April 2017. The contract stated that the vessel should be delivered in November 2019, but this deadline was repeatedly pushed back. In the event, the Voyevoda was only launched in November 2019. After another four years of fitting out, it finally began shipyard sea trials in December 2023. These lasted for another two years.
Officially, the Voyevoda is intended to carry out and support a wide range of maritime rescue operations, including outside of the Baltic Sea. According to the Marine Rescue Service, the vessel can transport, deploy, and supply search and rescue equipment, including the aforementioned small boats and helicopters.
According to some reports, however, this is only half the story.
A closer look at the specifications of the Project 23700 class reveals that the vessel is suspiciously well appointed in terms of accommodation.
Based on documentation published by the Yantar Shipyard, the vessel has “enhanced comfort facilities” that appear to be far beyond what would normally be found on a rescue ship. These include eight residential units, with bedrooms, bathrooms, and offices, a conference room, a passenger wardroom with a pantry, and various walk-through areas. While at least some of these facilities would be expected, with a lower degree of comfort, on a new ocean-going vessel, it is notable that, in 2019, it emerged that Yantar announced it was seeking a contractor to carry out work “on the comprehensive equipment of the ship’s high-comfort spaces on the vessel.” The starting price for the contract was around $2.9 million, based on the exchange rate at the time.
As such, some have claimed that the Voyevoda is primarily intended to serve as a yacht for Russia’s “chief executive,” President Vladimir Putin.
Even during its construction, questions began to be raised about the ship’s actual role.
Back in 2017, shipbuilding industry sources told the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant that they “expressed doubts that the ship will be used for rescue missions.” Instead, they suggested it was more likely a “special dual-use vessel” or a “yacht for dignitaries.”
In the newspaper, Alexander Bogdashevsky, director of the Ameta company, which specializes in building private motor yachts, added:
“This vessel’s architecture and described functionality are more reminiscent of the currently popular expedition yacht type. The design, however, is very utilitarian, falling short of a full-fledged yacht for a private client, but perhaps this is intentional. I believe there is every reason to believe that the vessel’s true purpose does not correspond to its stated goals, and it will be used for the specific needs of very high-ranking government officials.”
Other notable features of the Voyevoda include the smart blue and white livery that is in contrast to the rest of the Marine Rescue Service fleet. A possible presidential seal has also been noted on the vessel in the past.
Whether carrying Putin or other officials, its long range means that it could be used for state visits further abroad, with its small boats and helicopters being used to keep it supplied and to move officials between the ship and the land, without needing to dock.
The long-standing rumors of the Voyevoda being “Putin’s yacht” may well be the reason that, according to CAST, several reports about the recent commissioning of the vessel were later removed from the internet. With the strains of the Ukrainian war and the effects of broader tensions with the West, including sanctions, being felt by much of the Russian populace, it could well be imagined that now might not be an opportune time to publicize such an investment.
Provided that the Voyevoda ends up being used as a presidential yacht, as the claims suggest, even if for only part of its duties, it would need to be equipped with facilities for critical ‘continuity of government’ missions. This would include an elaborate communications system and a capable self-defense suite, especially considering the growing threat from drones of various kinds.
It should also be noted that Russia has a track record of building dual-use vessels that blur the boundaries between civilian and military roles. A case in point is the Project 23550, an ice-breaking ship that is armed with guns, with the option to further increase its firepower in the future, including adding cruise missiles.
Putin himself is thought to be no stranger to yachts, but his full-scale invasion of Ukraine has made their operations extremely complicated.
There is Graceful, also codenamed Kosatka (meaning killer whale). This $100-million yacht was designed by Blohm and Voss in Germany and was constructed in Russia’s Sevmash Shipyard on the White Sea.
Inside GRACEFUL Yacht • Blohm Voss • 2014 • Owner Vladimir Putin
Just before the full-scale invasion, the Graceful left Hamburg, where it was undergoing a refit, apparently on Putin’s orders. It then made its way to Kaliningrad, and it has since been placed on a U.S. sanctions list.
It is far from alone, with dozens of oligarch-owned superyachts around the world having either been seized or sanctioned.
The U.S. government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) now lists the Graceful as “blocked property in which President Vladimir Putin has an interest.”
Meanwhile, the $700-million Scheherazade, rumored to be the largest superyacht the Russian president has an interest in, has been impounded in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara, where it was undergoing repairs.
With that in mind, having access to another yacht, but one that’s formally owned and operated by the Marine Rescue Service, could be one way of avoiding the same fate as some of these other vessels. On the other hand, the reality is that Russia’s leader has only a very limited possibility of using these kinds of ships, especially as long as the country remains ostracized from much of the international community and at war with Ukraine. The vessel could quickly become a top symbolic target and Ukraine has become incredibly capable at striking maritime targets far from home.
Just outfitting this vessel with basic defenses would not be enough to ensure security for such a high-profile user. It would need to be extensively equipped and under escort by a surface combatant if it intends to stray outside of Russian waters with the president onboard.
And this is all a lot of work for what would still be a far cry from a real super yacht or even a well outfitted, dedicated exploration yacht.
Certainly, it would be harder to pin its ownership on Putin or any other Russian official or oligarch, should it begin to be used for leisure duties. It may make more sense that this is something of a state-owned and operated hybrid vessel that can accommodate VIPs, from officials to industrial barons, without the fear of sanctions and a reasonable amount of baked-in security.
That’s if it is actually equipped with any decently luxurious spaces at all. The glazed deck below the bridge is of interest, but the ship doesn’t have any other luxury features that can be identified externally based on the limited imagery we have.
For now, the Voyevoda is officially working in the ranks of the Marine Rescue Service as an emergency rescue vessel, but, if the rumors turn out to be true, this may very well not be its only assignment.
It being a dedicated vessel for Putin, that assumption seems like more of a reach without further info, at least at this time.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com