The Aurora is a symbol of the October Revolution and its famous 1917 “blank shot”, was the signal for the storming of the Winter Palace. In 1944, the cruiser was put on eternal parking in the Neva River, as a museum-monument for naval history of St. Petersburg. Since the mid- 20th century, it is a branch of the Central Naval Museum of Russia.

Now, there is talk about upgrading the Aurora so it will be a working ship. It will cost about 400 million rubles for it to be restored completely, after a long time of sitting in the water and damages from weather and the water itself. The Ministry of Defense is investing in the upgrading of the cruiser. The Aurora cruiser will be re-equipped with a new navigational system, communication equipment, and other much needed upgrades.