1225th Pacific Fleet Intelligence Center (GRU)
Organizational Overview
The 1225th Pacific Fleet Intelligence Center, military unit 53170, is the Pacific Fleet’s dedicated signals and operational intelligence formation associated with the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU). It integrates shore-based radio reconnaissance detachments and sea-based intelligence ships to conduct communications intelligence, electronic intelligence, direction finding, and analytical support to fleet commanders and national-level consumers.
Unit Designations and Composition
Publicly identified components include the 4th Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment (military unit 51286, also referenced in open sources as 53170-V), the 5th Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment (military unit 30863, also referenced as 53170-G), and the 515th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron (military unit 49226). The use of military unit numbers and letter suffices reflects standard Russian administrative practice for identifying parent formations and subordinate elements.
Missions and Tasks
Core tasks encompass continuous monitoring of the electromagnetic environment across the Pacific Fleet’s areas of responsibility, collection and processing of foreign naval and aerospace communications and electronic emissions, production of tactical and operational intelligence, maintenance of an electronic order of battle, and indications-and-warning support to fleet operations. These functions align with published Russian doctrine for radio-technical reconnaissance and operational support to the General Staff.
Shore-Based SIGINT Detachments
The 4th and 5th Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachments operate fixed and mobile intercept and direction-finding capabilities for HF, VHF, UHF, and other bands relevant to maritime and aerospace operations. Typical functions include communications intercept, geolocation of emitters, signal analysis, and dissemination of time-sensitive intelligence to fleet command posts. Specific site locations, equipment suites, and manning levels for military units 51286 and 30863 are not disclosed in official public sources.
Intelligence Ship Squadron
The 515th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron provides sea-based collection using purpose-built communications intelligence vessels designated with the SSV prefix. Open-source listings associate the following platforms with this squadron: Project 1826 large intelligence ship SSV-80 Pribaltika; Project 864 Meridian medium intelligence ships SSV-535 Karelia and SSV-208 Kuril Islands; and Project 1824B Uhlomer small intelligence ship Uhlomer. These assets conduct extended operations in international waters to monitor foreign exercises, transits, and operational patterns adjacent to the Russian Far East and wider North Pacific.
Technical Notes: Project 864 Meridian (NATO Vishnya-class)
Project 864 intelligence ships were constructed in Poland and are widely reported as purpose-built COMINT and ELINT platforms. Typical characteristics published by naval references include length approximately 94 meters, beam 14 to 15 meters, full-load displacement around 3,400 tons, speed about 16 knots, endurance on the order of 45 days, and range around 7,000 nautical miles. They are distinguished by extensive antenna arrays for wideband intercept and direction finding and carry only light self-defense armament.
Technical Notes: Project 1826 Balzam-class (SSV-80 Pribaltika)
Project 1826 large intelligence ships, commonly referred to as the Balzam class, are Cold War–era purpose-built communications intelligence vessels optimized for long-duration missions. SSV-80 Pribaltika is cited in open sources as a representative of this class within the Pacific Fleet’s intelligence ship squadron. Public information emphasizes their expansive masts and radomes for multiband collection and processing; detailed performance parameters and onboard system configurations are not officially published.
Technical Notes: Project 1824B Uhlomer
Project 1824B Uhlomer is identified in open sources as a small intelligence ship type used for maritime signals collection in littoral and near-sea zones. The platform Uhlomer is listed as part of the Pacific Fleet’s intelligence ship force structure. Open publications describe these vessels as carrying compact intercept and direction-finding equipment suitable for shorter deployments and coastal surveillance; authoritative technical specifications are not publicly released.
Basing and Infrastructure
Official sources do not publish precise basing data for the 1225th Center or its subordinate detachments. The Pacific Fleet’s principal naval infrastructure is concentrated in Primorsky Krai in and around Vladivostok, with additional fleet facilities in Kamchatka and on Sakhalin. Open-source ship photography and reporting have repeatedly depicted Project 864 intelligence ships alongside in the Vladivostok area. The shore radio detachments operate from restricted-access sites; specific coordinates and facility layouts for military units 51286 and 30863 are not publicly confirmed.
Operating Areas and Activity (Open Sources 2021–2024)
Public releases from Japan’s Joint Staff have periodically reported Russian Vishnya-class intelligence ships transiting or operating near Japanese straits, including the Sea of Japan approaches, Tsugaru Strait, and Tsushima Strait, as well as around Hokkaido. These reports reflect routine peacetime collection missions conducted by Pacific Fleet communications intelligence vessels in international waters. Open-source observations also note Russian AGI activity in the Okhotsk and broader North Pacific regions during the same period.
Command Relationships and Tasking
The 1225th Pacific Fleet Intelligence Center is a fleet formation associated with the Main Directorate of the General Staff and supports both naval operational needs and broader national intelligence requirements as described in Russian doctrine. Detailed mechanisms for tasking, dissemination, and coordination between the Pacific Fleet headquarters and the GRU are not made public in official sources.
Legal Status of Operations
Communications intelligence ships designated SSV are naval auxiliaries operating under the Russian naval ensign. Their missions are conducted in international waters outside other states’ territorial seas, consistent with the 12 nautical mile limit recognized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Coastal states commonly issue public situational reports tracking such vessels when they approach national straits or exclusive economic zones.
Cover Designations and OPSEC
Use of the SSV communications ship designation and the term special purpose for radio units is a longstanding Russian practice that provides administrative cover for intelligence collection roles. Military unit numbers are employed in official documentation in lieu of descriptive unit titles. Specific equipment lists, billet structures, and readiness metrics for the listed units are not released in public sources.
Information Gaps and Limitations
Open sources provide the unit titles, military unit numbers, and associated platform names and classes cited above. Exact base locations, internal organization, equipment inventories, and current readiness levels are not publicly available or are inconsistent across sources. Any further detail on technical systems, staffing, or operational plans would require access to classified information, which is not publicly released.