1229th Black Sea Fleet Intelligence Center (GRU)
Organizational Overview
The 1229th Black Sea Fleet Intelligence Center (military unit 53189) is identified in open sources as the Black Sea Fleet’s principal formation for signals and electronic intelligence (SIGINT/ELINT) under the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU). It consolidates fleet-level radio-electronic collection, analysis, and dissemination, and exercises operational control over shore-based collection detachments and the fleet’s intelligence-gathering ships.
Unit Designations and Subordination
Open-source references associate military unit 53189 with both the 1229th Black Sea Fleet Intelligence Center and the 519th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron, indicating the ship squadron functions as an organizational component of the Intelligence Center. The 3rd Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment (military unit 34258) is reported as a subordinate shore-based collection element aligned with the same intelligence center. Precise internal command relationships and manning figures are not publicly disclosed.
Location and Basing
The formations are based in the Sevastopol naval base complex (Crimea), the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Intelligence-gathering ships assigned to the 519th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron have been repeatedly documented pierside at Sevastopol from 2018 through 2025. Shore-based radio units of the 3rd Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment operate at multiple sites in Crimea; detailed site coordinates and facility layouts are not publicly released.
Missions and Roles
The listed organizations and platforms conduct maritime signals and electronic intelligence collection across the Black Sea theater, including communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT), and radio direction finding (RDF/DF), and provide technical intelligence support to fleet operations. Tasks documented in official statements and open reporting include monitoring foreign naval and air activity, supporting situational awareness, and (as claimed by the Russian Ministry of Defense) monitoring critical maritime infrastructure in the Black Sea.
519th Separate Intelligence Ship Squadron — Composition
The squadron (military unit 53189) comprises medium intelligence ships (SSV) of several projects: Project 18280 Yuriy Ivanov-class (ship: Ivan Khurs), Project 864 Meridian (Vishnya-class) medium intelligence ship (Priazovye/Priazovye), and Project 861M medium intelligence ships (Ekvator and Kildin). Historically, the squadron also included the Project 864 intelligence ship Liman, which sank after a collision in the Black Sea on 27 April 2017; no fatalities were reported. Additional ships may rotate in or out over time; current exact squadron strength is subject to change and detailed official listings are not publicly available.
Platform Details — Project 18280 "Ivan Khurs"
Ivan Khurs is the second unit of the Project 18280 Yuriy Ivanov-class medium intelligence ships, built at Severnaya Verf (Saint Petersburg) and accepted into service in 2018 for the Black Sea Fleet. Open sources describe the class as a purpose-built SIGINT/ELINT platform with integrated radio-technical reconnaissance suites, designed for extended deployments and fleet-level intelligence support. Widely cited data list an approximate full-load displacement of around 4,000 tons, length about 95 meters, and endurance on the order of 45 days. Specific sensor fits and mission system configurations are not publicly disclosed.
Platform Details — Project 864 "Priazovye" (Vishnya/Meridian-class)
Priazovye (also transliterated Pryazovye) is a Project 864 Meridian (NATO: Vishnya-class) medium intelligence ship assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. The class, built in Poland, is widely reported to displace roughly 3,000–3,500 tons full load with a length near 94 meters and to carry extensive communications and electronic intelligence collection arrays. Russian official statements have cited the ship undertaking monitoring tasks in the Black Sea; the exact onboard systems and detailed performance characteristics remain classified.
Platform Details — Project 861M "Ekvator" and "Kildin"
Ekvator and Kildin are Project 861M medium intelligence ships derived from modified Moma-series designs built in Poland. They are older platforms configured for radio-technical reconnaissance roles and typically described as smaller than Project 864 units (approximately 70–75 meters in length and around 1,500–1,600 tons full load, per open-source references). Specific modernization states, mission system fits, and current readiness levels are not officially published.
3rd Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment (military unit 34258)
The detachment conducts shore-based radio-technical collection and direction finding in support of the Black Sea Fleet, including COMINT/ELINT tasks and technical support to fleet operations and targeting. It operates within Crimea under the organizational umbrella of the 1229th Intelligence Center. Publicly verifiable information confirms its role and association; exact garrison locations, equipment complements, and manning are not disclosed in official sources.
Recent Documented Incidents and Activity (2017–2025)
On 27 April 2017, the Project 864 intelligence ship Liman (formerly in the same squadron) sank after a collision with a merchant vessel north of the Bosporus; no fatalities were officially reported. On 24 May 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported unmanned surface vessel attacks on the Project 18280 Ivan Khurs approximately 140 km northeast of the Bosporus; Ukrainian-sourced video showed at least one munition approaching the ship. The vessel subsequently returned to service. On 11 June 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported an unmanned surface vessel attack against the Project 864 Priazovye in the southeastern Black Sea; Russia stated the attack was repelled while the ship was monitoring energy infrastructure. Independent technical details of damage, if any, were not officially released.
Legal-Regime Constraints (Turkish Straits)
On 28 February 2022, Turkey announced the closure of the Turkish Straits to warships of belligerent states under Article 19 of the Montreux Convention, with the exception of vessels returning to their home ports. This policy has constrained non-homeport transits of Black Sea Fleet units since 2022, limiting intelligence-ship deployments beyond the Black Sea unless conditions for return to base are met.
Infrastructure and Support
The intelligence ships and shore units are supported by Black Sea Fleet logistics and maintenance infrastructure in Sevastopol, including fleet repair facilities (e.g., the 13th Ship Repair Plant) and standard naval supply chains. Shore-based radio-technical collection is enabled by multiple sites across Crimea that provide line-of-sight coverage and direction-finding baselines. Detailed layouts, network topologies, and sensor parameters for these facilities are not publicly available.
Information Gaps and Classification Caveats
Specific technical specifications of sensors, signal libraries, processing suites, communications, and battle damage assessments for the listed ships and units are not released publicly and are presumed classified. Exact manning, internal structure, and precise facility locations for the 1229th Intelligence Center and the 3rd Special Purpose Naval Radio Detachment are also not publicly disclosed. Where figures are provided, they reflect widely cited open-source ranges rather than official technical data.