Soviet shipyards started in 1928 with building inland paddle wheel steam tugs according to the CIA report called Soviet River Shipbuilding and vessel classification dated around 1955

For the report was the book Osnovy Teorii i Ustroystva Sudov Vnutrennego Planiya of A.P. Strakhov dated 1955 used. An item reported that in 1928 in the Soviet Union shipyards started with the building of series inland paddle steel steam tugs which had a horsepower of successively 150. 200 and 300ihp. Of ech type were 50 vessels built.

Source

The report was published on www.archive.org, document number CIA-RDP80-00809A000700260105-5