The ВЛ15 (VL15) is a twelve-axle two-section electric locomotive designed for service under 3,000 Volts DC. Like the ВЛ85 for 25,000 Volts AC, each section has three two-axle bogies. It was designed as a more powerful successor to the eight-axle ВЛ10 and ВЛ11. The electric part was widely taken from the ВЛ11, but with twelve traction motors with a higher output of 750 kW each, leading to a total of 9,000 kW and making it the most powerful DC locomotive in the world when it was introduced in 1984.

50 had been built by 1991 at Tbilisi with bodies manufactured at Novocherkassk. Only 44 were delivered to the SŽD, six became works locomotives of the apatite mines at Apatity and were designated ВЛ15^А. Four locomotives of the state railways were built with three or four sections and designated ВЛ11^С. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, all stayed in Russia. In 2007, one was rebuilt to the gas turbine locomotive ГT1, followed by another one that was built new.