Why Kirov acquired the battlecruiser label

Why are Kirov-class ships called battlecruisers rather than heavy guided-missile cruisers?

Their exceptional size and the prestige of the battlecruiser name outweighed the more precise guided-missile-cruiser description.

Heavy guided-missile cruiser is proposed as the more precise functional description. Kirov's size made it stand out beside contemporary surface combatants. The battlecruiser label conveyed that scale in a familiar and more dramatic term. Prestige and political presentation are therefore offered as explanations for its appeal, rather than a detailed technical classification rule.