Russia ordered the Muravyov-Amursky class in Germany even though its Baltic planning was directed against German power. American and British yards offered strategically safer alternatives, and the new Anglo-Russian understanding made British construction less exposed to the conflict Russia was preparing to fight. The ships were nearly complete when Germany seized them, leaving Russia without two modern cruisers. British-built ships caught outside the Baltic might still have served under the Russian flag alongside the Grand Fleet or Harwich Force. Procurement geography was a strategic issue because a sound design was useless to Russia once a prospective enemy controlled its delivery.
Notable Point · 45:17-49:40
The risk of ordering cruisers from a potential enemy
A cruiser order placed in German yards for the Siberian Flotilla became a warning about procurement dependence when war brought confiscation.