Q&A: What role suited the Borodino battlecruisers?

What were the Borodino-class battlecruisers for?

They were better suited to the Pacific or a mobile rapid-reaction role than to the Baltic's defensive battle plan.

Battlecruisers did not fit the Baltic's minefield-and-coastal-defense concept particularly well. Their speed and cruising qualities made more sense with the Pacific squadron, where Russia needed an outward-looking offensive force. If retained in European waters, they could serve as a mobile reserve able to respond before another fleet became trapped like the ships at Port Arthur. Their usefulness depended on theater and mission.