Its early service was largely uneventful with the exception of a sinking accident during a training dive in April 1913, after which the submarine was recovered using a crane and there were no casualties among the crew.

The submarine was ordered on 9 February 1906 after its approval by the Naval Technological Committee and was laid down at the Baltic Works in Saint Petersburg on 6 September 1906.

This was completed in April 1909 and Minoga underwent sea trials before entering service in the Russian Baltic Fleet on 31 October 1909.

[6][7] In total they had been in the submarine for twelve hours and there were no deaths, although they were sick from chlorine that was produced by water making contact with the electric battery and from the cold.

[6][8] At the outbreak of World War I Minoga was in the 1st Submarine Division of the Baltic Fleet, alongside Akula, Makrel, and Okun.

The fleet's submarines at the start of the war were considered only capable of short range coastal defense, with the exception of Akula.

During its last patrol of the campaign season, on 16 October, Minoga spotted the German cruiser SMS Friedrich Carl but it was too fast for the submarine to get close enough for an attack.

[6] When the Baltic Sea waters froze during the winter Minoga remained in port with the rest of the fleet until spring began the 1915 campaign season.

[11] During the following campaign season, in August 1916 the submarine ran aground in the Gulf of Riga, but was able to break free by moving in reverse.

When the February Revolution occurred it was in Petrograd, and the submarine was later acquired by the Baltic Fleet of the Soviet Navy, but was put into storage on 31 January 1918.

[13] They were moved by railroad to Saratov, from where they used their own power to get to Astrakhan via the Volga river,[12] where they became part of the Naval Forces of the Caspian Sea.

[6][7] During the Russian Civil War in the Caspian Minoga took part in combat against the British intervention forces and was later left in storage in Baku.