Lighthouses of Russia: South Ingria

Russia (Россия, Rossiya in Russian) is by far the world's largest country, spanning a little over 150° in longitude. It is organized as the Russian Federation (Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) with members known as federal subjects (sub'yekty federatsii). Russia is primarily a continental nation but it has important coastlines on the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas and very long coastlines on the Arctic Ocean and North Pacific Oceans. To guard these coasts it operates hundreds of lighthouses, many of them historic.

The Gulf of Finland, the eastern arm of the Baltic Sea, extends about 425 km (265 mi) to end at St. Petersburg, Russia's traditional western outlet to the sea. For most of its length the Gulf is 60-120 km (38-75 mi) wide. The eastern quarter of the Gulf's length is surrounded by Russian territory and the western 3/4 separates Finland on the north from Estonia on the south. Finland and Estonia were both parts of the Russian Empire before World War I and Estonia was a member republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 until 1991.

Ingria (Inkeri in Finnish, Ingermanland in Swedish) is a historic region that includes the south side of the Gulf east of Estonia as well as the greater St. Petersburg area and the north side of the gulf east of Karelia. Ingria has been part of Russia since it was conquered by Peter the Great in the early 1700s. Today Ingria represents a large part of Russia's Leningrad Oblast (province), one of the federal subjects. Leningrad Oblast is divided into 17 districts (raions) and one city district (gorodskoy okrug). This page covers the Kingisepp and Lomonosov Districts and the Sosnovy Bor City District. The Gulf of Finland Islands included in the Kingisepp District are described on a separate page.

The Russian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); ostrov is an island, rif is a reef, mys is a cape, bukhta is a bay, zaliv is a larger bay or gulf, proliv is a strait, reka is a river, and gavan' is a harbor.

Russian lighthouses are owned by the Russian Navy and maintained by the Office of Navigation and Oceanography (Управление навигации и океанографии).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 116.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Russia - Baltic Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Photos of the Gulf islands lights are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger.
World of Lighthouses - Russia - Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses in Leningrad Oblast
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Russische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Postcard views of historic Russian lighthouses posted by Klaus Huelse.
i-Boating Charts
Navigation chart for the Gulf of Finland.


Mys Shepelevskiy Light, Lomonsov, June 2021
Google Maps photo by Larisa I

Kurgalsky Peninsula Lighthouses
The blunt Kurgalsky Peninsula projects about 15 km (9 mi) into the Gulf of Finland, separating Narva Bay on the west from Luzhskaya (Luga) Bay to the east.

Kaybolovo (Kaibolovo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 61 m (20 ft); white light, 4 s on, 4 s off. 37 m (121 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Tower painted black, daymark white. A photo is available and Google has a satellite view. In 2003 thieves broke into the lighthouse to steal non-ferrous metals. They discarded the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) that powered the lighthouse, creating a serious case of radioactive pollution. (Soviet-era RTG's were powered by highly radioactive strontium 90, and the presence of these increasingly dilapidated and dangerous power units in unattended lighthouses was and is a matter of grave international concern.) Located about 7 km (4 mi) southwest of Kurgolovo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-139; Admiralty C3918; NGA 12972.
* Mys Pikhlisaar
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 4 s. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Tower painted red, daymark white. Sergey Sushnikov's 2019 photo is at right, Sergey Kanzuba has a 2018 photo, Juhann Uspäivä has another photo, Mela Mori has a closeup, and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Like Kaybolovo, this lighthouse was stripped by vandals who dumped the RTG in the Gulf of Finland. Located on Cape Pikhlisaar, marking the western entrance to the Luzhskaya bay about 6 km (3.5 mi) east of Kurgolovo. Site open, and apparently nothing prevents vistors from climbing the tower. ARLHS ERU-142; Admiralty C3976; NGA 12984.
Mys Luto
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 3 s. 21 m (69 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Tower painted red, daymark white with a black vertical stripe. No closeup photo available but Google has a good satellite view. There is a very distant view of the tower at 0:10 in a short video by Yuri Litvinovich. Located on a promontory near the middle of the west side of Luzhskaya bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3977; NGA 12985.
Pustoshskiy Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing white light. 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower with gallery; the tower carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available but Bing has a satellite view. This range guides ships bound for Ust-Luga around a shoal in the center of Luga Bay. Located at the southwestern corner of Luzhskaya bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3978.
Pustoshskiy Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white light occulting once every 3.5 s. 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower with gallery; the tower carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located 340 m (372 ft) west of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3978.1.

Mys Pikhlisaar Light, Kurgolovo, April 2019
Google Maps photo by Sergey Sushnikov

Ust-Luga Lighthouses
Ust-Luga is a town on the east side of the mouth of the Luga River where it flows into the south end of Luga Bay. The river is navigable as far as the district capital of Kingisepp.

Ust'Luzhskiy Rechnoy Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); green light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) tower carrying a large daymark panel painted red with a white vertical stripe. Evgeny Kud has a distant view (light at the water's edge in upper left corner), Ilya Khizhin has a fuzzy sunset view (light to the right of the crane) and the light casts a shadow in Google's indistinct satellite view. This the entrance range for the Luga River. Located on the waterfront within the port complex. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C3978.5.
Ust'Luzhskiy Rechnoy Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 26 m (85 ft); green light, pattern unknown. Approx. 23 m (75 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located about 400 m (1/4 mi) southwest of the front light just outside the harbor area. Site appears open, tower closed. Admiralty C3978.6.
Ust'Luzhskiy Morskoy Range Front (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 18 m (59 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This is the approach range for the Luga River. Google also has a satellite view of a similar structure about 125 m (410 ft) to the west; this may be an earlier range light. Navionics charts all four towers with white lights. Located in a forested area east of the river's mouth. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3979.5.
Ust'Luzhskiy Morskoy Range Rear (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 m (98 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Google also has a satellite view of a similar structure about 200 m (650 ft) to the northwest; this may be an earlier range light. Located about 400 m (1/4 mi) south of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3979.6.
Morskogo Kanala Porta (Luzhskiy Morskoy) Range Front
Around 1999. Active; focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); red flash every 1.5 s. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) triangular skeletal tower; the front face carries a slatted daymark painted red with a broad white vertical stripe. Google has a distant street view and a satellite view. The Ust-Luga Port was developed beginning in 1997 as a terminal for bulk commodities such as coal and fertilizer formerly shipped to Baltic ports through what is now Belarus and Lithuania. Located in the middle of the port area. This is the entrance range for the port. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3981; NGA 12986.
Morskogo Kanala Porta (Luzhskiy Morskoy) Range Rear (2)
2019 (?) (station established around 1999). Active; focal plane about 45 m (148 ft); red light occulting once every 3 s. Approx. 40 m (121 ft) triangular skeletal tower; the front face carries a slatted daymark painted red with a broad white vertical stripe. Around 2019 a new tower was built 160 m (525 ft) south of the original. Google has a satellite view of the new light and a 2013 street view (seen at right) of the earlier light. Located about 860 m (0.53 mi) south of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3981.1; NGA 12987.

Morskogo Kanala Porta Range Rear Light, Ust-Luga, June 2013
Google Maps street view

Soikinsky Peninsula Lighthouses
The wedge-shaped Soikinsky Peninsula projects about 25 km (15 mi) into the Gulf of Finland, separating Luzhskaya (Luga) Bay on the west from Koporye Bay on the east.

Yugantovskiy Range Front
2012. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); red flash every 1.5 s. 42 m (138 ft) square skeletal tower carrying rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. This is an approach range guiding vessels across Luga Bay to the Ust-Luga port. Located in a densely forested area on the east side of Luzhskaya Bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3982.1; NGA 12987.8.
Yugantovskiy Range Rear
2012. Active; focal plane 68 m (223 ft); red flash every 1.5 s. 67 m (220 ft) square skeletal tower carrying rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located at a facility of unknown nature about 800 m (1/2 mi) east southeast of the front light.. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3982.2; NGA 12987.81.
Vistinskiy
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round white tower; the upper portion is surrounded by a white cylindrical daymark. Lawrence Van Intoy has a photo and Bing has a satellite view. This light has been dropped from the Admiralty list. Located on a promontory near Vistino. Site status unknown. ex-Admiralty C3984.
Novaya Gavan' Ruch'i Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 14 m (46 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) skeletal tower carrying a daymark painted orange with a white vertical stripe. Google has a distant street view and a satellite view. The range guides ships to a new harbor (novaya gavan') at Vistino. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3985.
Novaya Gavan' Ruch'i Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); red light, 2.5 s on, 2.5 s off. 18 m (39 ft) skeletal tower carrying a daymark painted orange with a white vertical stripe. Google has a distant street view and a satellite view. Located about 125 m (400 ft) east of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3985.1.
Gorki (Gorky)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 181 m (594 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 41 m (135 ft) round tower with a large round control room and other facilities, rising from a substantial building. Tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. Google has the 2013 street view seen at right and the shadow of the tower is conspicuous in a Google satellite view. This tower is a vessel tracking tower of the Automated Identification System. Located north of Vistino on the east side of the Luzhskaya bay, about 10 km (6 mi) south southwest of Cape Kolgampya. Site status unknown, probably closed. ARLHS ERU-138; Admiralty C3986; NGA 12988.
Mys Kolganpya (Kolgampya, Kolgompya) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); quick-flashing white light. 21 m (69 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. Lightphotos.net has a photo, Sergey Babushkin has a photo, and Bing has a satellite view. The range guides vessels approaching the Luga Bay ports from the east. Located on the tip of Mys Kolganpya, the prominent cape at the northern end of the Soikinsky Peninsula. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-076; Admiralty C3988; NGA 12992.
Mys Kolganpya (Kolgampya, Kolgompya) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off, visible only on the range line. 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. The north side of the tower carries a large slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) south of the front light and the cape. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3988.1; NGA 12996.

Gorki Light nd Vessel Traffic Control, Krivoruch'ye, June 2013
Google Maps street view

Sosnovy Bor City Lighthouse

#Mys Ustinskiy (Sosnovy Bor)
Date unknown. Inactive. This was a 29 m (95 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the upper half covered on all sides by a slatted daymark. No photo available and Google's satellite view shows that the tower has been removed. Sosnovy Bor ("Pine Forest") is a new town built in connection with a large nuclear power plant but now also the site of a number of research institutes. Formerly located on Mys Ustinskiy, a sharp cape marking the eastern entrance to Koporye Bay, about 8 km (5 mi) west of Sosnovy Bor. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-143; ex-Admiralty C3996.

Lomonosov District Lighthouses

* Mys Shepelevskiy (Shepelevsky)
1910. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); two long white flashes every 16 s, white or red depending on direction. 36 m (118 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted with horizontal red and white bands; gallery painted black. Keeper's house and other light station buildings. Near the lighthouse is a new communications tower, more than twice the height of the lighthouse, also painted with horizontal red and white bands. A photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has a photo, Sergey Nelinov has an early spring photo, Wikimedia has numerous photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse was prefabricated in France. It is an important light station guarding the south side of the entrance to the Gulf of Kronstadt, the narrow extension of the Gulf of Finland leading to St. Petersburg. Located on the headland of Mys (Cape) Shepelevskiy about 60 km (37.5 mi) west of St. Petersburg and 30 km (19 mi) west of Lomonosov. Accessible by road but some local guidance may be needed to find the entrance. Site open, tower closed unless the keeper can be persuaded to give a tour. . ARLHS ERU-007; Admiralty C4004; NGA 13004.
* Krasnaya Gorka Common Range Rear (2)
1957 (station established before 1950). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 38 m (125 ft) square cylindrical steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted red; the upper half of the tower is enclosed by a slatted daymark painted with red and white vertical stripes. 1-story wood service building, painted white. Trabas has a distant view and Bing has a satellite view. The light is about 1.6 km (1 mi) east of the historic Krasnaya Gorka fortress. Founded by Peter the Great, the fortress was the location of Russia's first lighthouse in 1721. Located on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland on the west side of Lebyazhye and about 20 km (13 mi) west of Lomonosov. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-141; Admiralty C4006; NGA 13008.
* Krasnaya Gorka 212° Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) robust post light carrying a large drum-shaped daymark. Tower painted white, daymark red with a white vertical stripe on the apparent range line. Yuri Tupitsin has a street view, Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The Krasnaya Gorka Ranges are described as a "deviation range." Located beside the coastal highway on the west side of Lebyazhye, about 335 m (1100 ft) north northwest of the Krasnaya Gorka lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4005.9.
* Krasnaya Gorka 220° Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) robust post light carrying a large drum-shaped daymark. Tower painted white, daymark red with a white vertical stripe on the apparent range line. Trabas has a photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on the same road about 80 m (90 ft) east of the 212° front light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4006.1

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: St. Petersburg | West: Northeastern Estonia

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted May 22, 2005. Checked and revised September 7, 2024. Lighthouses: 24. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.