The Dava went down off Kamchatka's western shore in just minutes, Yulia Stadnikova, a spokeswoman for the federal Emergency Situations Ministry said.
Three crew members are still missing, but strong winds and waves are hampering their efforts.
Local media said the ship, which had 17 people on board, had its hull ripped open by an unknown object and that no SOS was sent because an emergency buoy malfunctioned.
ITAR-Tass said the Dava was the third ship to sink off Kamchatka since the beginning of the year.