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Russia's New Baltic Patrol Ship Could be a Covert Yacht for Putin

Voyevoda under construction (Yantar Shipbuilding / USC)
Voyevoda under construction (Yantar Shipbuilding / USC)

Published Jan 7, 2026 10:25 PM by The Maritime Executive


After nine years of construction, United Shipbuilding Corporation has delivered the emergency rescue vessel Voyevoda to the Russian Marine Rescue Service, MORSPAS. Voyevoda has unique characteristics that set her apart from anything else in the agency's response fleet. Wraparound glass on a forward observation deck; refined, curving lines and livery; a reported complement of eight residential suites; and a top speed of 22 knots all set her apart. The vessel's real purpose - first reported in English by Naval News, but more recently by The War Zone - may be to serve as a semi-covert yacht for dignitaries, possibly including Russia's "first person," President Vladimir Putin. ds

Voyevoda ("military leader") is a 7,500-tonne patrol ship fitted to carry four response boats and two helicopters. By displacement, she is larger than a U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter, and has a reported range of 5,000 nautical miles - more than needed for service in the Baltic, her appointed home.

Voyevoda's delivery has been a long time in arriving. The keel was laid at United Shipbuilding Corporation's Yantar Baltic yard in Kaliningrad in 2017, and the ship was slated for a 2019 delivery. That date was pushed back through the COVID era, and the vessel was finally launched in late 2023. Sea trials and work carried on throughout 2024 and 2025. The ship's completion was formally announced last month. No additional hulls of the class have been announced.   

Whether or not the vessel is intended for Putin's personal use, the differences between Voyevoda and the rest of the MORSPAS fleet are remarkable. The most notable contrasts stem from what is missing from the larger, blue-and-white cutter. It is the only ship in the agency without any workboat features, like an aft working deck, a heavy-lift crane or a towing winch, and it appears unequipped for the marine salvage and pollution-response tasks that the division is known for. MORSPAS' vessels are designed for rough duty, and most are found wearing easy-care red or black paint on the hulls. 

The newly-delivered rescue MPSV Kerchenskiy Proliv (MORSPAS)

Another MORSPAS delivery announced in December - the icebreaking MPSV Kerchenskiy Proliv, under construction since 2010 - illustrates the difference. Kerchenskiy Proliv is built for salvage and rescue in Arctic ice, and has a long working deck; a low and unobstructed transom for towing or handling gear over the stern; a heavy crane; Yokohama fenders in permanent racks; and thick rub rails on the hull amidships. None of these hard-wearing features are in evidence on Voyevoda.

Putin does not formally own a yacht, but several vessels have been linked to the Russian leader over the years. In February 2022, just days before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, a yacht named Graceful - believed to be tied to Putin - departed a shipyard in Hamburg and headed for Russia. Given the timing amidst a military buildup along the Ukrainian border, and the yacht's suspected connections, the Graceful's movements were viewed as a signal of impending conflict.

Graceful escaped Western sanctions on Russian assets, but another yacht tied to Putin was not so lucky. The 460-foot Scheherazade - a $700 million megayacht, one of the largest in the world - is believed to have circumstantial links to Putin's movements and his personal bodyguard unit. EU investigators believe that the beneficial owner is former Rosneft executive Eduard Khudainatov, whose name is said to appear on ownership papers for two other yachts as well. Scheherazade was stuck in drydock in Italy when the conflict began, and was seized by Italian authorities about three months later.