A Russian intelligence ship has sunk off the coast of Turkey after 78 soldiers were evacuated when it crashed into another vessel.

Russia's defense ministry had said it was scrambling to save the naval reconnaissance ship in the Black Sea after the collision with another vessel carrying animals and capable of transporting 750 tons of livestock.

The ministry confirmed the Liman had a hole as a result of the impact and that their vessel was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the Bosphorus Strait near Turkey's Black Sea Coast.

After fighting to keep it afloat, it was dragged under the sea after water flooded through the split in the hull.

The Russian reconnaissance ship Liman (pictured) sails past the Bosphorus Bridge (file photo)

Russian Navy reconnaissance frigate Liman leaves from the Black Sea fleet's base at Sevastopol, Crimean peninsula back in 1999

The ministry statement, carried by Russian news agencies, said none of the crew members were hurt after it crashed in fog and low visibility.

It is understood 78 soldiers had to be rescued after the crash which pierced the Russian ship underneath the sea's surface, causing it to flood with water.

There were earlier reports 15 soldiers were missing and that 45 had been rescued, but there were no reported injuries as a result of the incident.

A Turkish coastguard official said the second vessel was a 'Togo-flagged ship' and added: 'The Russian ship sank after the collision.

'All of the crew on board were rescued.'

The exact identity and status of the second ship is still to be confirmed as Russians have called it both Youzarsif H and Ashot-7.

The Youzarsif H, owned by Hammami Livestock, was in the area at the time and pictures on its website shows it carrying dozens of sheep, goats and cattle.

According to the company's website, the ship was built in 1977 and converted to a cattle cargo vessel capable of carrying 1,500 cattle in 2013.

Russian Navy's reconnaissance ship Liman of the Black Sea fleet sails in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 21, 2016

A picture of the ship believed to be the Youzarsif H, which was carrying livestock when it collided with the Russian vessel

Anadolu Agency, Turkey's state-run news agency, said Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has spoken by phone with Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to express his sadness.

An earlier statement from the Russian ministry said the crew was not harmed but is 'fighting to keep the ship afloat' and that other Russian navy ships and a plane had been dispatched to the scene.

The Russian military said it is trying to identify the owner of the Ashot-7 ship.

The Liman is a former research vessel that the Russian navy has retro-fitted into a reconnaissance ship.

In February, military sources told Russian media that it would be observing NATO's Sea Shield exercise in the Black Sea.

Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, which cuts through Istanbul, is one of the world's most important waterways for transit of oil and grains.

The 17-mile waterway connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.