Small ships make a globally distributed balanced fleet affordable

How could the Soviets balance global deployment needs against finite fleet assets?

They used large runs of smaller ships for presence while reserving more expensive medium and capital ships for higher-end tasks.

Serial production spreads research, tooling, and training costs across more hulls. Once a class is in high-volume production, extra units require mainly materials and labor rather than a fresh development system. Numerous small combatants could therefore cover routine regional requirements and presence missions. Medium and capital ships would remain essential for concentration, long-range power, and the balance Gorshkov rejected sacrificing.