In 1918, the AMF was captured by Japanese forces, which took away almost all of the ships in May 1920. With the end of the Civil War in the Far East, the Soviets began reconstruction of the flotilla. In 1925–1926, it grew bigger with the return of the ships which had been taken away by the Japanese. In 1929, the AMF included four river monitors and other ships. In 1930, the AMF was awarded with the Order of the Red Banner for its successful military operations during the Sino-Soviet conflict of 1929.