Commissioning dates remove several Soviet ships that dominate popular images of the 1980s fleet. The first Kirov did not commission until December 1980, making it unavailable for a war beginning in May, while the Slava class entered later still. The Kara-class cruisers were already in service, as were the Moskva-class aviation ships and the carriers Kiev and Minsk. Those two carriers fielded small Yak-38 groups and larger helicopter complements, giving the Soviet order of battle real aviation capacity without importing later ships into it.
Chapter · 3:06:10-3:08:24
Which Soviet major warships were actually available in 1980?
The May 1980 fleet has Kara-class cruisers and Kiev and Minsk, but not the later mass of Kirov- and Slava-class ships commonly associated with the mature Soviet blue-water navy.