Are the Project 23900 amphibious ships a poor investment given the state of Russia's surface fleet?
Short answerThey could fill a useful amphibious role, but the participants disagree about offensive employment. Escort availability, slow construction, machinery supply, and the allocation of only two ships limit their potential.
NotesThe first assessment allows that Gorshkov-class frigates could theoretically escort the ships but doubts that Russia will conduct offensive amphibious operations with them. A competing view is that Mistral-sized ships might have enabled the planned landings near Odesa, filling a capability gap exposed early in the war in Ukraine. Such ships could also create problems around northern Norway or the Baltic, including support for Kaliningrad. That argument runs into the stated allocation of the two hulls to the Pacific and Black Sea fleets. The July 2025 discussion gives reported completion dates of 2028 and 2029 after July 2020 laying-down dates, and raises the original machinery suppliers as another source of delay. Projected features include thirty helicopters and a hangar, while the presence of a well deck remains unresolved.