Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov visited the Severnoye Design Bureau in St Petersburg on 11 September to review its design for a new generation of guided-missile destroyers, according to state news reports.
Adm Chirkov's spokesman said the future destroyer will have "multipurpose capabilities" and increased firepower, compared with the Sovremenny-class destroyers (Project 956) it will replace.
The spokesman added that the new ship could be nuclear-powered, but is also being designed with a conventional powerplant.
Russia's defence procurement plans indicate that series construction is supposed to begin in 2019.
Severnoye designed the Sovremenny destroyers as anti-air and anti-surface warfare platforms in the 1970s.