Soviet shipbuilding weakness came from institutional rupture as well as material shortage. Revolution and civil conflict killed or drove abroad many people who carried imperial naval knowledge. Repeated turnover in naval high command prevented senior officers from building continuity or translating political direction consistently. Project 23 emerged from an organization trying to recover expertise while its decision-making structure remained unstable.
Notable Point · 24:01-24:47
How revolution stripped away naval expertise
Deaths, exile, and repeated command changes after imperial Russia's collapse left the Soviet Navy without the stable leadership needed to turn political orders into workable plans.