Russia quietly launched the Vice-Admiral Burilichev on July 4, 2025, at the Vyborg Shipyard. The vessel is officially an oceanographic research ship under the Ministry of Defense's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), but Western analysts consider it a dual-use spy ship capable of monitoring, mapping, and potentially tampering with NATO's critical undersea fiber-optic cables. The ship is 108.1 meters long, displaces 5,230 tons, and supports deep-diving submersibles capable of operating beyond 6,000 meters depth and retrieving objects up to 200 kilograms. It is expected to join Russia's Baltic Fleet, placing it near vital transatlantic and European undersea infrastructure. This ship continues Russia's legacy of naval espionage vessels like the Yantar and is equipped with side-mounted hangars, A-frames, and sonar arrays for covert reconnaissance and undersea operations. Construction delays were noted due to sanctions, but its launch signals Russia's ongoing investment in capabilities to disrupt global undersea communications.

Russia quietly launched the Vice-Admiral Burilichev on July 4, 2025, at the Vyborg Shipyard. The vessel is officially an oceanographic research ship under the Ministry of Defense's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), but Western analysts consider it a dual-use spy ship capable of monitoring, mapping, and potentially tampering with NATO's critical undersea fiber-optic cables. The ship is 108.1 meters long, displaces 5,230 tons, and supports deep-diving submersibles capable of operating beyond 6,000 meters depth and retrieving objects up to 200 kilograms. It is expected to join Russia's Baltic Fleet, placing it near vital transatlantic and European undersea infrastructure. This ship continues Russia's legacy of naval espionage vessels like the Yantar and is equipped with side-mounted hangars, A-frames, and sonar arrays for covert reconnaissance and undersea operations. Construction delays were noted due to sanctions, but its launch signals Russia's ongoing investment in capabilities to disrupt global undersea communications.