The MPK-33 is a corvette of Project 1124-class, also known as Grisha class. It is the sixth of 88 ships of its type built. It was laid down on October 30, 1968; launched on April 30, 1970; and commissioned on January 27, 1971. The development of Project 1124 began in the 1960s when the Soviet Navy required a large fleet of new escort and anti-submarine ships with small displacements. These ships were intended to accompany other vessels at sea and protect naval bases. In 1963, the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau 340 received an assignment to design a corvette under the code name "Albatross." This new type was to weigh no more than 800 tons, travel at speeds of at least 35 knots, and be armed with a 57mm automatic cannon supplemented by torpedoes and rocket bomb launchers. In June 1964, the USSR Navy command reviewed the project and proposed supplementing the armament with the Osa-M SAM.

The decision to build the lead ship was made in August. After undergoing testing in 1970, the design was revised and completed in 1972. In addition to a number of minor adjustments, the complex hull shape was simplified. By the early 1980s, the ship's limited mass during development had a noticeable negative impact, resulting in virtually no modernization potential for ships of this type. Early and late corvettes differed in their autocannon, missile, and torpedo installations, but building a new ship was easier for anything more complex. Most Project 1124 corvettes were decommissioned. Among them was the MPK-33, decommissioned on February 7, 1995. Two Project 1124 ships served in the Ukrainian Navy until 1999. Two more served in the Lithuanian Navy until 2009.

The MPK-33 was introduced in Update 2.49 "Tusk Force". This frigate is notable primarily for its OSA-M launcher, which fires two anti-aircraft missiles. Like other late Soviet coastals, the MPK-33 has powerful main armament and useful RBU-6000 bomb launchers. One drawback is the inconvenient rear location of the 57mm turret.