DP-65 10 barreled anti-saboteur automatic grenade launcher system
DP-64 2 barreled anti-saboteur grenade launcher system
A variety of module containers including weapon modules containing 324 mm Paket-NK torpedoes,[2]3M24, Kalibr-NK cruise missiles and 9M331M surface-to-air missiles[3]
On 7 March 2022, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had attacked Vasily Bykov using a shore based multiple rocket launcher system off the coast of Odesa, stating that the ship had been heavily damaged or even sunk.[8][9] However, on 16 March 2022, Vasily Bykov was seen returning to the Sevastopol Naval Base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, with no damage visible. According to The Drive, the Moldovan-flagged tanker MV Millennial Spirit, which was still burning after having been shelled by a Russian warship on 25 February 2022 and located twelve miles (19 km) from the Ukrainian port of Yuzhne, could have been mistakenly interpreted by Ukrainian officials as the Vasily Bykov.[10] On 14 April 2022, the ship the Vasily Bykov had attacked Snake Island with, the Moskva, was sunk,[11] and on 30 June, the Russian army retreated from Snake Island.[12]
In June 2022, Vasily Bykov was for the first time equipped with a self-contained fighting module of the Tor-M2KM air-defence system, installed on its helicopter deck.[13][3]
On 1 August 2023, the Ministry of Defence of Russia claimed that a Ukrainian attack with three naval drones on Vasily Bykov and another Russian project 22160 patrol ship, Sergey Kotov, had been repelled. It also accused Ukraine of having attempted to attack Russian civilian vessels in the southwestern part of the Black Sea with naval drones. Ukrainian officials rejected both the claims of attacks on Russian civilian[14] and military ships.[15]
On 13 August, Russia announced that Vasily Bykov had opened warning fire from automatic weapons to stop the Palauan-flagged cargo ship Sukru Okan, which was navigating through the Black Sea, after it failed to respond to a Russian request to inspect it.[16]
On 14 September, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that Vasily Bykov engaged and destroyed three Ukrainian naval drones. Vasily Bykov and another warship were puportedly escorting two merchant vessels, Yaz and Ursa Major, the latter an alleged arms-runner, heading towards Istanbul.[17] On the other hand, Ukrainian forces claimed that day they had damaged Vasily Bykov.[18]
^"Заложен патрульный корабль "Василий Быков"" [Patrol ship "Vasily Bykov" laid down]. bmpd.livejournal.com (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^Trevithick, Joseph (16 March 2022). "The Curious Case Of Russia's Back From The Dead Warship". The Drive. Retrieved 18 March 2022. All told, Vasiliy Bykov's claimed destruction at the hands of a Ukrainian rocket artillery battery is exactly the kind of morale-boosting story of plucky underdog determination and resourcefulness that, especially with the additional Snake Island connection, one might want to be true. However, the ship's apparent reappearance in Crimea unscathed suggests that it is not.
