The Russian Gepard ("Cheetah") class frigates (Project 1166.1) were intended as successors to the earlier Koni, Grisha, and Parchim-class corvettes. The first unit of the class, Yastreb (Hawk), was laid down at the Zelenodol'sk Zavod shipyard at Tatarstan in 1991. She was launched in July 1993, after which she began fitting out; fitting was nearly completed by late 1995, when it was suspended due to lack of funds. Renamed Tatarstan, the ship was finally completed in July 2002, and became the flagship of the Caspian Flotilla. She has two sister ships, the Albatros (renamed Dagestan), and the Burevestnik (Storm Petrel), which was still under construction . These vessels are capable of employing their weapons systems in conditions up to Sea State 5. The hull and superstructure are constructed