Small anti-submarine ships of Project 1331M “Parchim II”, based at the naval base in Kronstadt near Saint Petersburg, have received an unusual camouflage — instead of standard naval markings, painted rectangular “windows” have appeared on their hulls, and part of the hull has been repainted black to “blur” the vessel’s silhouette. The images were published online by OSINT analyst known by the pseudonym Massimo Frantarelli. Experts suggest that this paint scheme is intended to protect the ship from Ukrainian drones guided by artificial intelligence.
It is believed that two ships received the atypical camouflage — likely “Zelenodolsk” and “Kazanets”. In addition to the “house-facade” design, other elements of deceptive camouflage are also visible: the artillery mount has been painted with black-and-yellow stripes, and individual fleet units have been spotted with a “zebra“-pattern on the hull. Crews have also been installing improvised mesh screens against drones on superstructures, wheelhouses, and torpedo tubes.
Project 1331M vessels are old Soviet small anti-submarine ships that began entering service as early as 1986. A total of twelve units were built. The ships are armed with AK-176 and AK-630M artillery mounts, Smerch-2 depth charge mortars, and torpedo tubes.
