Photo: by Nikolai Kolosov on Pexels
New Russian cruise liner “Vladimir Zhirinovsky”: premium voyages on rivers and seas
Russia’s shipbuilding industry has unveiled the five‑deck liner “Vladimir Zhirinovsky”, slated for its first sailings in 2027. On board you’ll find hotel‑level service, routes ranging from the Volga to the Black Sea, and future plans for the Mediterranean.
History of the project
The vessel, originally called “Peter the Great”, was laid down at the Lotus shipyard in Astrakhan in the mid‑2010s. Over ten years it went through several name changes and schedule shifts: technical hurdles, a pandemic, and component‑supply problems all slowed progress. After the well‑known politician died in 2022, the ship received the name “Vladimir Zhirinovsky”. By the end of 2025 the hull left Astrakhan and headed for St. Petersburg, where the Baltic Shipyard OSK finished the remaining work.
Technical specifications
- Five‑deck river‑sea vessel, capable of cruising large rivers and open water; wave limit about three‑four metres.
- Length approaches four hundred feet (roughly 140 m), beam just over fifty feet (around 17 m).
- Capacity about three hundred passengers, housed in roughly one‑hundred‑fifty cabins.
- Top cruising speed sits between twenty and twenty‑three kilometres per hour.
Premium comfort on board
The liner markets itself as a floating five‑star hotel. Decks host restaurants, bars, an open‑air pool, a spa, a gym, and a theatre salon where concerts and plays are planned. This suite of amenities puts “Vladimir Zhirinovsky” on par with the best European river‑cruise ships.
2027 itinerary
The inaugural season will cover the main waterways of European Russia: the Volga, Neva, Don, plus Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega linked by the Volga‑Baltic Canal. In addition, the ship will sail out to the Caspian, Black and Azov seas, stopping in major coastal cities such as Baku, Aktau, Makhachkala, Sochi, Yalta and Sevastopol. Later, voyages to the Mediterranean and Red Seas are on the agenda.
How to book a cabin
Tickets are sold through the official office of the Moscow Steamship Company 1858. Prices sit in the premium segment, above those of the current flagships “Princess Victoria” and “Alexander Green”. Exact fares will appear once the schedule is finalised, but demand for river cruises of this caliber is already climbing, while high‑end supply stays limited.
Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.
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