The new class is intended to be a more seaworthy, blue water complement to the Buyan-M class corvettes, which had been designed for the littoral zone and are currently serving in Russia's Caspian Flotilla and Black Sea Fleet.[2] The first two ships were laid down on 24 December 2015, and as of July 2016, four are under construction. In August 2016, it was reported that a total of seven ships have been ordered from the Pella shipyard (at least one of which will be built at More in Crimea), and that five further ships of the class have been ordered from the Zelenodolsk shipyard.[3] The first ship is to join the navy in 2018.[4][5]