From Polyarny to Sevastopol
A 45-year-old artillery boat that once led the Navy Day parade in Polyarny on the Kola Peninsula has been transferred to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula temporarily occupied by Russia.
For several years, the 22-metre-long artillery boat AK-388 led the annual Navy Day parade in the Northern Fleet base of Polyarny.
On board were leading representatives of the local naval forces. Following the AK-388 in the parade were other vessels based in Polyarny, including minesweepers, special-purpose vessels, and diesel-engine submarines.
The AK-388 was built in 1981 in Feodosia, Crimea. It belongs to the Grif-class (Project 1400) and is designed for engaging enemy vessels, providing support to ground forces, and performing other tasks such as patrol duties and communications.
The AK-388 is now reportedly back in the Black Sea. According to Aleksandr Bogachev, a retired sailor who served on the AK-388, the vessel has been transferred to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and is currently based in the temporarily occupied town of Sevastopol.
The transfer has also been confirmed by a social media channel based in Polyarny.
"We remember all those who served on the boat: the sailors, sergeants, and command staff. Many miles have been sailed and many missions completed, thanks to everyone who served on the AK-388. Some are no longer with us, but we remember them, while others continue to serve even now, under the conditions of the SVO [Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine], on our boat," Bogachev wrote on his VK page.
Among the sailors who served on the vessel and was killed in the war against Ukraine was Nikolai Ankudinov. The man, who came from the Arkhangelsk region, served on the AK-388 in the early 1990s.
According to Bogachev, Nikolai Ankudinov signed up for service in the armed forces as soon as Russia launched its full-scale war in 2022.
"With the start of the special military operation [Russia’s full-scale war of aggression], Nikolai, as a true patriot, could not sit idly at home and voluntarily signed up to serve in the Marine Corps, with the 200th Guards Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade of the 14th Army Corps of the Northern Fleet," Bogachev said.
Ankudinov was reported missing in action in November 2024, according to Aleksandr Bogachev.
Russia’s Navy Day is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of July. This year, as in 2025, the celebrations did not include any naval parades in Polyarny or any other naval bases due to mounting fears of Ukrainian drone attacks.
