Ukrainets showed what a capable Russian destroyer could carry

The Ukrainets group carried two 3-inch guns, one forward and one aft, plus four 57 mm guns and more stable torpedo arrangements. The torpedo alternatives given are two 17.7-inch torpedoes or three 15-inch torpedoes, and the ships could make 26 knots. Their larger hulls distinguished them from earlier Russian torpedo craft of roughly 300-450 tons. Public donations funded eight ships, some named after their donors. Although described as completed in 1905, they represented the kind of capable destroyer Russia needed to bring into service earlier. Russia initially called these ships torpedo cruisers and reclassified them as destroyers in 1907, even though their capabilities already suited destroyer duties.