In 1955, the terms of reference were approved for the construction of a Project 84 light cruiser, which was assigned to provide anti-aircraft cover for ship task forces during their passage across the seas. It was planned to build five cruisers and equip them with the most advanced ZIF-75 AA mounts by 1964. The lead ship was supposed to enter service in 1960, but after Nikolay Kuznetsov was removed from the post of Peoples Commissar of the Navy, work was halted.