Soviet cruisers can be useful despite mismatched systems

Would Soviet cruisers built around Italian and German technology be effective?

They might be awkward and less suitable for a close fight with a fully worked-up German or Italian cruiser, but they could still be useful in the Baltic and Black Sea.

Combining Italian and German equipment could produce ships that demand considerable work to keep their systems functioning together. Miles O'Brien from Star Trek's Deep Space Nine supplies a fictional analogy for the engineer managing that integration. The underlying naval problem is real: useful imported components do not automatically make a coherent, fully worked-up cruiser. Such ships could still serve effectively enough in the Baltic or Black Sea. The reservation concerns a close one-to-one action against a comparable German or Italian cruiser whose systems and crew had been worked up together.