How submarines and surface groups divided Soviet missions

Did Soviet investment in submarines cause it to neglect the surface fleet?

To an extent, but the balance made strategic sense: nuclear submarines handled long-range interdiction while surface groups and diesel boats defended Soviet approaches.

The Soviet emphasis on submarines did limit surface investment, but it also followed a coherent division of labour. Nuclear boats could raid at long range and threaten transatlantic reinforcement. Major surface groups, working with diesel submarines, concentrated on keeping Allied naval forces away from Soviet bastions and critical areas. Some later diesel boats also patrolled deep into the Atlantic, so the division was a strategic emphasis rather than an absolute boundary.