[3][4] The ship is named after Russian counter admiral Sergey Kotov [ru] (1912–1999).

The first identified maritime drone attack on Sergey Kotov occurred on 1 August 2023, was reported as unsuccessful by the Russian Defense Ministry, by three naval drones on the Black Sea Fleet patrol vessels Sergei Kotov and Vasily Bykov.

On 14 September 2023, Sergey Kotov was attacked and damaged by a Ukrainian MAGURA V5 unmanned surface vehicle (USV).

[5] The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the attack but did not comment on the damage to the ship.

[5] On 5 March 2024, Ukrainian military intelligence stated that naval drones hit the ship near Feodosia, Crimea, near the Kerch Strait.