Russian naval ships are renamed after killed aggressors
According to Russian authorities, Denis Vasilchenko killed 18 Ukrainian men before he himself was killed on the battlefield. Now the former Northern Fleet submariner and invader of foreign land is honoured with his name on a special purpose boat
The anti-sabotage boat used to carry the name P-475. Now, it is renamed to Denis Vasilchenko.
The boat, which is designed for anti-terrorism missions in northern waters, is based in Polyarny, the Kola Peninsula. It was included in the Northern Fleet in December 2024.
It is the second Northern Fleet vessel in less than two weeks that has been renamed after a so-called 'hero of Russia,' who was killed in Ukraine.
Denis Vasilchenko used to serve as torpedo operator on the submarines Yaroslavl and Kaluga. He was later transferred to the 80th Motorised Rifle Brigade in Alakurtti. On October 19, 2022, the 43-year-old man was reported killed near the village of Sukhanovo in Ukraine's Kherson region.
According to the Northern Fleet, the warrior "destroyed two tanks and killed 18 Ukrainian soldiers before he himself was killed."
“The heroic deeds of Denis Sergeevich Vasilchenko are without doubt an example for all of us, and especially the young guys that now are about to make decisions about their direction in life and future profession,” Head Commander of the Northern Fleet Aleksandr Moiseev said in a speech.
The decision to rename the special purpose boat after Vasilchenko was reportedly announced in a decree from the Navy head command on November 30, 2025.
The P-475 is the second Northern Fleet vessel in less than two weeks that has been renamed after a soldier who fought and was killed in the war of aggression. On November 26, a 35-year-old naval boat was renamed 'Hero of Russia Roman Mankevich' after a marine who served in the 61st Navel Infantry Brigade, an elite unit based in Sputnik only few kilometres from the border with Norway and Finland.
The Northern Fleet has lost many hundred soldiers in the war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia's total casualties, dead and wounded, are believed to exceed 1,2 million. The number of killed warriors from the Kola Peninsula is unknown, but the Barents Observer has a list of more than 700 names.
