After the end of the war Rossia returned to Kronstadt where she underwent a three-year refit that strengthened her armament.

She was fitted with mine rails in 1914 and laid one minefield during World War I that damaged two German light cruisers.

She was reconstructed beginning in late 1915 to further strengthen her armament, but played no part during the rest of the war as her crew became involved in revolutionary activities in 1917.

They fired 193.5-pound (87.8 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,950 feet per second (900 m/s) which gave a range of 12,000 yd (11,000 m) at 13° elevation.

[9] The gun fired 10.8-pound (4.9 kg) shells to a range of about 8,600 yards (7,864 m) at its maximum elevation of 21° with a muzzle velocity of 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s).

[5] They fired a 3.3-pound (1.5 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,476 ft/s (450 m/s) at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of 2,020 yards (1,850 m).

[5] They fired a 1.1-pound (0.50 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,450 ft/s (440 m/s) at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of 3,038 yards (2,778 m).

The main armored deck was 2 inches (51 mm) thick, but a five-inch glacis projected above it to protect the tops of the engine cylinders.

[17] Rossia entered service in late 1896 and participated in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review in June 1897 at Spithead.

The squadron made a number of sorties against Japanese shipping early in the war, but only one was reasonably successful when the transport Hitachi Maru, carrying eighteen 28-centimeter (11 in) siege howitzers and over 1000 troops intended for the siege of Port Arthur, was sunk in June 1904.

[18] On an earlier sortie in May 1904 Rossia flew an observation balloon off her quarterdeck to (unsuccessfully) locate Japanese shipping; the first use of an aerial device by a warship on the high seas during a time of war.

[1] During the war the bulk of the Russian Pacific Fleet was located in Port Arthur where they were blockaded by the Japanese.

On 10 August 1904 the ships at Port Arthur attempted breakout to Vladivostok, but were turned back in the Battle of the Yellow Sea.

36 miles (58 km) north of the island he encountered the Japanese squadron commanded by Vice Admiral Kamimura Hikonojō tasked to patrol the Tsushima Strait.

[19] Admiral Jessen turned to the northeast when he spotted the Japanese at 5:00 a.m. and they followed suit, albeit on a slightly converging course.

Admiral Jessen turned southeast in an attempt to open the range, but this blinded the Russian gunners and prevented any of their broadside guns from bearing on the Japanese.

About 06:00 Admiral Jessen turned 180° to starboard in an attempt to reach the Korean coast and to allow Rurik to rejoin the squadron.

Azuma developed engine problems around this time so the Japanese squadron slowed to conform with her best speed.

Admiral Kamimura circled Rurik to the south at 08:00 and allowed the other two Russian ships to get to his north and gave them an uncontested route to Vladivostok.

[21] About this time Admiral Kamimura's two elderly protected cruisers, Naniwa and Takachiho were approaching from the south.

They fought a running battle with the Russians for the next hour and a half; scoring enough hits on them to force their speed down to 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[21] About 10:00 Kamimura's gunnery officer erroneously informed him that Izumo had expended three-quarters of her ammunition and he turned back after a five-minute rapid-fire barrage.

By this time she had been sunk by Naniwa and Takachiho which had closed to 3,000 meters (3,300 yd) of Rurik in order to finish her off.

Shortly after the Japanese turned back Gromoboi and Rossia were forced to heave-to to make repairs.

[24] Rossia represented Russia at King George V's Coronation Fleet Review in June 1911.

She departed Kronstadt in September 1912 for a training cruise to the Canaries and the Virgin Islands, returning to the Baltic in time to visit Copenhagen in March 1913 in company with the protected cruisers Aurora and Oleg.

[15] Rossia's crew took an active part in the revolutionary movements in 1917[16] and came under control of the Soviet Red Fleet in September 1917.