Ukrainian landing ship Konstantin Olshansky

Konstantin Olshansky (Ukrainian: Костянтин Ольшанський), formerly known as BDK-56 (Russian: БДК-56), is a Project 775 (NATO reporting name: Ropucha-I-class) large landing ship of the Ukrainian Navy. The ship was built in Poland, launched in 1985 and initially served in the Soviet Navy where the vessel was renamed after Soviet Naval Infantry officer Konstantin Olshansky. The landing ship was transferred to Ukraine in 1996. On 24 March 2014, the ship was captured by Russian forces during the annexation of Crimea.^[2]

Konstantin Olshansky
History
→ Soviet Union → Russia
Name	Konstantin Olshansky
Namesake	Konstantin Olshansky
Builder	Stocznia Północna, Gdańsk, Poland[1]
Commissioned	1985[1]
Homeport	Sevastopol
Identification	112 (1985); 139 (1987); 154 (1990).[1]
Fate	Transferred to Ukrainian Navy in 1996
Ukraine
Name	Konstantin Olshansky
Acquired	10 January 1996
Commissioned	27 March 1996
Homeport	Donuzlav
Identification	Pennant number: U402
Captured	24 March 2014 by Russia
Status	Unknown
Badge
General characteristics [1]
Class & type	Ropucha-class landing ship
Displacement	2,768 long tons (2,812 t) standard 4,012 long tons (4,076 t) full load
Length	112.5 m (369 ft 1 in)
Beam	15.01 m (49 ft 3 in)
Draught	4.26 m (14 ft 0 in)
Ramps	Over bows and at stern
Installed power	3 × 750 kW (1,006 hp) diesel generators
Propulsion	2 × 9,600 hp (7,159 kW) Zgoda-Sulzer 16ZVB40/48 diesel engines
Speed	17.59 knots (32.58 km/h; 20.24 mph)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Endurance	30 days
Capacity	10 × main battle tanks and 340 troops or 12 × BTR APC and 340 troops or 3 × main battle tanks, 3 × 2S9 Nona-S SPG, 5 × MT-LB APC, 4 trucks and 313 troops or 500 tons of cargo
Complement	98
Armament	2 × AK-725 twin 57 mm (2.2 in) DP guns 4 × 8 Strela 2 SAM launchers 2 × 22 A-215 Grad-M rocket launchers

Service history

The ship was built at the Stocznia Północna shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, and launched in 1985 as BDK-56.^[1] In 1990, the ship was renamed to Konstantin Olshansky, after Konstantin Olshansky, a Soviet naval infantry officer.

In mid 1996 during the division of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, the landing ship was transferred to the Ukrainian Navy, and the Ukrainian naval flag was raised on the ship on 27 March 1996.

In March–April 2011, in the Libyan civil war, Konstantin Olshansky took part in the evacuation of foreign specialists and members of their families from Libya, bringing 193 citizens from 15 different countries to Malta.^[3]

On 24 March 2014, the ship was captured by Russian forces during the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Konstantin Olshansky was seized by Russian soldiers at her pier in the Southern Naval Base.^[2]

On 26 March 2024, Ukraine claimed to have struck Konstantin Olshansky with a Neptune missile. The ship was reportedly being refitted for use against Ukraine.^[4] On 7 June 2025, Atesh partisan reported that Konstantin Olshansky was being used as a "donor" to supply parts to other ships of a similar type at Sevastopol.^[5]

Gallery

• 
  Konstantin Olshansky in 1990
• 
  Konstantin Olshansky at Donuzlav in 2011
• 
  Kostiantyn Olshansky (bigger) and Yuri Olefirenko (smaller) landing ships

See also

• Ukrainian ship Yuri Olefirenko
• List of active Ukrainian Navy ships