List of active Russian Navy ships

This list of active Russian Navy ships presents a picture which can never be fully agreed upon in the absence of greater data availability and a consistent standard for which ships are considered operational or not. The Soviet Navy, and the Russian Navy which inherited its traditions, had a different attitude to operational status than many Western navies. Historically, ships went to sea less and maintained capability for operations while staying in harbor.^[1]

The significant changes which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union then complicated the picture enormously. Determining which ships were and are operational, or in refit, can be difficult. As Jane's Fighting Ships noted in one of its 1999–2000 editions, some ships had little capability, but continued flying an ensign so that crews are entitled to be paid.^[1] Jane's Fighting Ships online edition, dated 8 March 2010, added that: "There are large numbers of most classes 'in reserve', and flying an ensign so that skeleton crews may still be paid. [Their listing reflected] only those units assessed as having some realistic operational capability or some prospect of returning to service after refit."

Over the past two decades there has been an attempt to modernize and update the fleet. From the 2010s there has been a shift toward the production and introduction of modern light units to begin to replace large numbers of obsolescent corvettes, missile boats and mine counter-measures ships from the Soviet-era. In addition, there has been a renewed emphasis on submarine production with the introduction of nuclear-powered ballistic missile, nuclear-powered cruise missile as well as new classes of conventionally-powered attack submarines. This trend is continuing through the 2020s, particularly in relation to the submarine component of Russia's nuclear deterrent forces.^[2][3]

Since the start of the Russo-Ukraine War, the Russian Navy has experienced serious losses in ships and materiel in the Black Sea Fleet. In the context of a conflict that is still ongoing, descriptions of the navy's order of battle may, at times, be imprecise.^[4] Some ships found in the list below may have been sunk or damaged or already retired from service; others, not on the list, may in fact still be in service or in reserve with the fleet. Nevertheless, the information presented below constitutes a best estimate on the state of the Russian navy based on open sources. For a list of likely Russian and Ukrainian ship losses in the war see: List of ship losses during the Russo-Ukrainian War.