MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. South Korean specialists have discovered the armored cruiser Dmitry Donskoi that was part of the Russian imperial fleet and fought in the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese war, the news agency Yonhap reported on Tuesday.

The battleship was found by Shinil Group that had been searching for it for several years.

The Dmitry Donskoi lay at the bottom of the Sea of Japan off South Korea’s eastern Ulleung Island.

"We found the body of the Dmitry Donskoi 434 meters deep in seas 1.3 kilometers off Ulleung Island," Shinil Group said.

"The name of Dmitry Donskoi was discovered on the stern of the ship," the company said.

The naval ship’s hull was severely damaged by numerous shells during the battle with the Japanese warships but its deck was well-preserved, Shinil Group said.

The company expects to lift the warship from the bottom of the Sea of Japan in the near future.

The Dmitry Donskoi that was floated out in 1883 took part in the Battle of Tsushima and, despite considerable damage, fought to the end.

After the lost battle, the armored cruiser sailed north to Vladivostok but was caught up by Japanese warships that were chasing the remains of the Russian naval squadron.

Reluctant to surrender, the cruiser’s crew made a decision to sink the battleship. This happened on May 29, 1905.

The Naval Battle of Tsushima on May 27-28, 1905 is a major combat engagement of the Russo-Japanese war. The Russian squadron’s heavy defeat in this battle from the Japanese imperial fleet considerably influenced the outcome of the war.