What capabilities will Dmitry Glukhov have and where can it be useful?
Russia is betting on the creation of a powerful anti-mine fleet, and the next step towards this was the laying of the newest Project 12700 Dmitry Glukhov minesweeper at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard in St. Petersburg. It will be equipped, among other things, with two boats with underwater robots that can eliminate minefields within a radius of 10 km. The Dmitry Glukhov is already the 16th minesweeper in this series. The relevance of building such ships has been proven by events in the Middle East, where minefields installed in the Strait of Hormuz will affect shipping for a long time. The possibilities of the ships of the 12700 project and their relevance are described in the Izvestia material.
The 16th mine defense ship Dmitry Glukhov was laid down
On April 24, the laying ceremony of the 12700 Dmitry Glukhov mine defense ship took place at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard in St. Petersburg.
— We are launching the construction of the next ship, the sixteenth in the series, Project 12700, named after the Black Sea sailor, Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Glukhov. The operation and combat use of these ships in the fleets have become a significant step in improving mine defense capabilities," Admiral Vladimir Vorobyov, Deputy Commander of the Russian Navy, said at the ceremony.
By tradition, a plaque with commemorative information about the date and place of construction was attached to the element of the keel set of the future ship. After that, the section took its place on the hull.
Today, nine Project 12700 mine defense ships are serving in the Russian Navy. "Alexander Obukhov" and "Lev Chernavin" serve in the Baltic, "Georgy Kurbatov", "Ivan Antonov" and "Vladimir Yemelyanov" are part of the Black Sea Fleet, "Yakov Balyaev", "Peter Ilyichev" and "Anatoly Shlemov" are assigned to the Pacific Fleet. The Afanasy Ivannikov joined the Northern Fleet last year, and the Polyarny is due to join this year.
Another unit for the Northern Fleet, the Dmitry Lysov, is preparing for testing. "Semyon Agafonov", "Viktor Korner", "Sergey Preminin", "Leonid Balyakin", and now "Dmitry Glukhov" are under construction.
Over the years, the ships have proven themselves well. Last December, after the launching of the Dmitry Lysov, Vice Admiral Igor Mukhametshin, Deputy Commander of the Russian Navy for Armament, said that at least 20-30 Alexandrite Project 12700 minesweepers would be built by 2050.
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| Launching of the Dmitry Lysov mine defense ship (naval minesweeper) of project 12700 (code "Alexandrite") with serial number 531 at Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant JSC. Saint Petersburg, 05.12.2025. |
| Source: Government of St. Petersburg |
—The task of the minesweeper is the mine defense of bases and ships," Rear Admiral Mikhail Chekmasov, Candidate of Military Sciences, told Izvestia. — The need for such ships in the navy is great.
According to the Rear admiral, mine weapons are the most insidious because they pose a prolonged threat. For example, even naval mines from the Great Patriotic War are still being found. So, in 2020, the minesweeper of the Baltic Fleet "Alexander Obukhov" neutralized 12 anchor warheads in the Gulf of Finland. And in March 2024, a WWII-era German mine was destroyed near Bolshoy Tyuters Island. Therefore, modern minesweepers are necessary to secure different water areas.
— So far, there is a mine threat in the Black Sea and in the Strait of Hormuz, so serious attention will be paid to minesweepers. By the way, Soviet minesweeping forces took part in the demining of the Gulf of Suez and in the Bangladesh area. So when the conflicts end and the parties come to peace agreements, it is possible that our forces will be needed both in the Black Sea and in the Strait of Hormuz," Mikhail Chekmasov concluded.
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| The minesweeper Alexander Obukhov. |
| Source: wikipedia |
The Project 12700 minesweepers are the most modern ships in their class, military expert Captain 1st rank Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
— The United States does not really have minesweeping ships, and if they are going to mine the Strait of Hormuz, they will need to involve ships from NATO countries. And we need a lot more of these minesweepers. Each fleet needs to have a compound, and that's six to eight ships. So the Sredne-Nevsky Plant has a lot of work ahead of it," he said.
The first two ships of the 12700 project were built for six years. After that, the manufacturer was able to significantly reduce the time, and now the process takes about three years. Previously, the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) commissioned one ship per year, and in 2025 it began transferring two combat units to the fleet.
Capabilities of Project 12700 ships
The Project 12700 minesweepers have a displacement of 890 tons, a length of 61.6 m, and a width of 10.3 m. They can reach speeds of up to 16.5 knots, have a range of 1,500 miles, and a 10-day cruise range. The crew consists of 44 people. Ships can find and destroy mines both in water and in the sea. Their weapons also include an AK-306 artillery system and a machine gun.
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| The Anatoly Shlemov project 12700 minesweeper at the dock in Vladivostok. |
| Source: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov |
The hulls of the ships are made of monolithic fiberglass. Because of this, the magnetic fuses of the mines do not react to them. In addition, they are 20% lighter than metal and more durable.
The Diamant system is installed on board the minesweepers. It includes two boats with underwater robots. The system makes it possible to neutralize minefields within a radius of 10 km at a depth of up to 100 m. The boats have low-noise engines, they are equipped with sonar equipment and magnetometers.
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| Engineer of the mine and torpedo warhead during maintenance of a self-propelled underwater vehicle on the Project 12700 minesweeper Anatoly Shlemov. |
| Source: RIA Novosti/Vitaly Ankov |
The ships are also equipped with the Alexandrite-ISPUM mine search and destruction system, designed to detect deep-sea objects. It consists of a remote—controlled underwater vehicle that can find objects at a distance of up to 500 m and at a depth of up to 300 m.
Underwater drones are sent to the discovered mines, which install explosive charges. In addition, they can tow a mine and destroy it in shallow water. Thanks to such devices, specialists do not have to take risks.
Roman Kretsul
