Baltic Fleet during the October Revolution and Russian Civil War

[2] Over the years, however, the relations of the Baltic Fleet sailors with the Bolshevik regime soured, and they eventually rebelled against the Soviet government in the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921, but were defeated, and the Fleet de facto ceased to exist as an active military unit.

Despite the continued World War I, during the winter of 1916-1917 the fleet was inactive: stationed mainly at Helsingfors, Reval, and Kronstadt the ships were literally frozen into the ice or in docks for repair.

Summer 1917 was just as passive: the Russian command (Stavka) was fearful of active actions against the superior German fleet and had in mind only the defense of Petrograd.

The combination of inactivity, low pay, low military morale, hostilities between officers and rank-and-file created an explosive environment, and with the February Revolution the Fleet revolted during the Baltic Fleet Mutiny [ru].

in April 1917, the Central Committee of the Baltic Fleet (Tsentrobalt) was formed headquartered at Helsingfors.