105th Water Area Protection Brigade
Unit Overview and Mission
The 105th Water Area Protection Brigade (105-я бригада кораблей охраны водного района, 105-я БрОВР) is a formation of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet assigned to the Leningrad (Kronstadt) Naval Base. Its primary mission is the protection of naval base water areas and approaches in the near-sea zone, including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), mine countermeasures (MCM), escort of naval and auxiliary traffic, and maintenance of navigational safety in the eastern Gulf of Finland. Core tasks include establishing ASW barriers, patrolling designated sectors, and executing routine route-clearance and harbor-defense operations.
Basing and Area of Responsibility
The brigade operates in the eastern Baltic Sea with an operational focus on the Gulf of Finland and the approaches to Kronstadt and St. Petersburg. Open sources consistently associate the 105th with the infrastructure on and around Kotlin Island (Kronstadt). The area features constrained fairways, high-density commercial shipping, and seasonal ice, factors that necessitate frequent MCM activity, short-notice ASW patrols in restricted waters, and winter operating procedures coordinated with icebreaking support.
Order of Battle (As Reported)
The formation includes two functional groupings. Small Anti-Submarine Ship Tactical Group: Project 1331M small anti-submarine ships (commonly referred to as Parchim II corvettes in Western sources) MPK-192 Urengoy (tactical number 304), MPK-99 Zelenodolsk (often rendered Zelenodonsk; 308), and MPK-205 Kazanets (311). Minesweeper Tactical Group: Project 12650 base minesweeper BT-115 (515) and Project 10750 raid minesweepers RT-57 (316) and RT-248 (348). Russian tactical hull numbers are subject to change and are not permanent identifiers.
Platform Capabilities — Project 1331M Small ASW Ships
Project 1331M (NATO reporting name: Parchim II) ships are coastal ASW combatants optimized for littoral operations. They are diesel-powered, approximately 75 meters in length, and displace under 1,000 tons at full load. Typical systems reported in open sources include a hull-mounted sonar, an AK-176 76.2 mm gun mount, AK-630 30 mm close-in weapon systems, RBU-6000 ASW rocket launchers, and torpedo tubes, enabling layered short-range ASW engagement and limited self-defense against surface and air threats. The class has no organic aviation but can coordinate with shore-based ASW aircraft and helicopters when available.
Platform Capabilities — Project 12650 Base Minesweeper
Project 12650 base minesweepers are designed to detect and neutralize mines in naval base waters and approach channels. They employ a low-signature hull, mine-hunting sonar, and a suite of mechanical, acoustic, and electromagnetic sweeps to counter contact and influence mines. Their role includes route surveys, channel marking, and clearance operations in shallow and congested waters; armament is limited to self-defense appropriate to an MCM platform.
Platform Capabilities — Project 10750 Raid Minesweeper
Project 10750 raid minesweepers (NATO: Lida) are smaller harbor and roadstead MCM craft, typically built with non-magnetic (glass-reinforced plastic) hulls to reduce vulnerability to influence mines. They are equipped with mine-detection sonar and deployable sweeps optimized for confined waters, berths, and fairways. Their tasking emphasizes rapid clearance of mooring areas and inner harbors to ensure immediate navigational safety for naval movements.
Operational Employment and Tactics
The Small ASW Ship Tactical Group establishes patrol lines and mobile ASW barriers along approach routes in the Gulf of Finland, conducts sector searches, and escorts higher-value units transiting to and from Kronstadt. The Minesweeper Tactical Group executes pre-sail and post-arrival route surveys, routine channel clearance, and reactive clearance following mine-like object detections or after adverse weather. Operations are coordinated through the Leningrad Naval Base command post, with deconfliction measures for commercial traffic in the St. Petersburg sea approaches.
Infrastructure and Support
Support infrastructure associated with the brigade includes piers and anchorage at Kronstadt and adjacent berthing sites, ordnance storage and handling points, fuel and replenishment services, and regional ship repair capabilities such as those at the Kronstadt Marine Plant. The operating area is covered by navigational aids along the St. Petersburg Sea Canal and by Baltic Fleet sea training ranges in the Gulf of Finland, enabling regular ASW and MCM training evolutions in local waters.
Command and Control
The 105th Water Area Protection Brigade is subordinate to the Leningrad (Kronstadt) Naval Base within the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy. Tasking is issued through fleet and naval base command channels for routine patrols, readiness checks, and scheduled training events. Coordination with port authorities and, when required, with the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the FSB is standard for enforcement of restricted areas, convoying auxiliaries, and establishing temporary safety zones.
Readiness Considerations and Material State
The Project 1331M ships and legacy MCM platforms in this formation were largely built in the late 1980s and have remained in service for decades. Open reporting indicates periodic maintenance and refits to sustain operability and update selected sensors and communications. Nevertheless, these units are limited relative to newer designs in endurance, air-defense capacity, and signature reduction. In the MCM domain, sweep-centric systems are less effective against modern low-signature influence mines; the Baltic Fleet has been introducing Project 12700 (Alexandrit) mine countermeasures ships in parallel to improve mine-hunting capability.
Security and Identification Notes
Russian naval units frequently change painted tactical hull numbers; the same ship may be observed with different numerals over time. Ship names and project designations are the most reliable persistent identifiers. Romanization can vary in open sources; for example, MPK-99 is commonly listed as Zelenodolsk, though alternative spellings such as Zelenodonsk appear in some reporting. For accurate correlation of sightings or imagery, use project number, ship name, and visible configuration details.
Information Availability and Limitations
Specific berth locations, detailed patrol schedules, weapons loadouts, communications plans, and current readiness states are not publicly available and are typically classified. Only widely reported and verifiable open-source details are included here; any additional sensitive operational information cannot be provided.