Soviet 180 mm cruiser guns offered a useful middle course

Should the Soviet Navy have built more 180 mm gun cruisers alongside its 152 mm cruiser force?

The 180 mm gun was a good choice and could have armed more Soviet cruisers.

The prompt asks whether the Soviet Navy should have built more cruisers with 180 mm guns while retaining 152 mm weapons as its main cruiser calibre. The answer endorses the 180 mm choice. Although brief, the exchange points toward the Soviet effort to occupy a firepower niche between conventional six-inch and eight-inch cruiser batteries.