Buying the first one or two modern battleships from an experienced foreign yard might have given the Soviet Union usable ships sooner. A completed example could also have supported learning in domestic yards. Britain and the United States were the only plausible suppliers with enough capacity. Naval-treaty restrictions and international politics made a sale difficult even if Moscow could fund it.
Notable Point · 55:29-56:01
Could foreign yards have jump-started the Soviet battle fleet?
Buying the first ships abroad could have supplied working examples and saved time, but only British or American yards had the capacity and treaty politics made a sale difficult.