The Slavas were powerful cruisers, but their place in the Soviet fleet was secondary. They were meant to back up the Kirov nuclear battlecruiser program if that more ambitious project failed. Cresta- and Kynda-class cruisers handled the mass-presence mission, while Kirov held the prestige capital-ship role. Slava therefore occupied a narrow place in a crowded cruiser force: capable enough to substitute for Kirov, without receiving the same status or priority.
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Slava as the Kirov program's backup cruiser
The Slava class was an insurance policy for the Kirov battlecruisers rather than the Soviet Navy's main prestige or mass-presence cruiser.