Early Cold War Soviet naval thinking carried lessons from both world wars through the Korean War period. The cancellation of the Stalingrad battlecruisers after Stalin's death makes the continued construction of Sverdlovs significant. Their survival suggests that the navy could make a stronger practical case for gun cruisers than for some larger projects. German operations and ideas such as the Jeune École supplied precedents for that case. This is an argument from the contrasting construction decisions, rather than a quoted design requirement.
Notable Point · 5:08-6:48
Why continued Sverdlov construction suggests a practical naval purpose
Stalingrad's cancellation and Sverdlov's continued construction support an argument that the gun cruisers met a continuing naval requirement.