Project 21 and Stalin's minimum battleship demand

The later Soviet plans for Project 23 and Project 25 show the scale of Stalin's ambitions, but granting that entire program would put the Soviet Union alongside Britain and the United States. Project 21 offers a more plausible starting point within existing treaty limits: 35,000 standard tons, 30 knots, and nine 16-inch guns. Combining that armament and speed raises a serious question about how much armor the design could carry. Stalin would prefer new capital ships to further modernization of the Gangut class, while retaining the older ships until their replacements entered service. He would also demand cruisers, destroyer leaders, destroyers, and submarines as parts of Soviet security. In this scenario he would oppose Britain's efforts to negotiate smaller battleships and smaller guns.