Editing Cruiser (section)

=== Strike cruisers ===
[[File:Cruiser_Kynda.jpg|thumb|Cruiser ''Grozny'' of [[Kynda-class cruiser|Project 58]]]]
[[File:Kirov-class_battlecruiser.jpg|thumb|Heavy nuclear cruiser ''Frunze'' of [[Kirov-class battlecruiser|Project 11442]] – visible vertical missile launchers]]
An alternative development path for guided-missile cruisers was represented by ships armed with heavy long-range anti-ship missiles, primarily developed in the Soviet Union with a focus on combating aircraft carriers.<ref name=":252"/> Starting in 1962, four ships of [[Kynda-class cruiser|Project 58]] (NATO designation: ''Kynda'') entered service. They were armed with eight [[P-6/P-35|P-35]] missile launchers with a range of 250&nbsp;km and a twin launcher for [[M-1 Volna]] anti-aircraft missiles.<ref>Asanin, pp. 32–35</ref> With a moderate full displacement of 5,350 tons, they were initially intended to be classified as destroyers but ultimately entered service as guided-missile cruisers.<ref>Biereżnoj, p. 6</ref> During this period, designs for larger cruisers, such as Project 64 and the nuclear-powered Project 63 (with 24 anti-ship missiles), were also developed. However, their construction was abandoned due to high costs and vulnerability to air attacks due to the shortcomings of available anti-aircraft missiles.<ref name=":252"/>

The next built type was four ships of [[Kresta I-class cruiser|Project 1134]] (NATO designation: ''Kresta I'') with a displacement of 7,500 tons, equipped with four P-35 anti-ship missile launchers and two Volna anti-aircraft missile launchers.<ref name=":82">Gardiner & Chumbley, pp. 380–382</ref> These were transitional types with lesser strike capabilities and were initially classified as large anti-submarine ships but were reclassified as guided-missile cruisers in 1977.<ref>Biereżnoj, pp. 13–14</ref>

In the 1980s, before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, only three guided-missile cruisers of the new generation [[Slava-class cruiser|Project 1164]] (''Slava'' class) with a full displacement of 11,300 tons were completed out of a longer planned series. They carried 16 Bazalt anti-ship missile launchers and eight vertical launchers for long-range Fort anti-aircraft missiles.<ref name=":24">Biereżnoj, pp. 7–8</ref> The pinnacle of development for cruisers designed to engage surface ships, while also protecting fleet formations from aircraft and submarines, was the four large nuclear-powered cruisers of [[Kirov-class battlecruiser|Project 1144]] (''Kirov'' class) from the 1980s. These were officially classified as "heavy nuclear guided-missile cruisers".<ref name=":24" /> With a full displacement of up to 25,000 tons, they were armed with 20 [[P-700 Granit|Granit]] heavy anti-ship missile launchers, 12 vertical launchers for long-range Fort anti-aircraft missiles, and short-range missiles.<ref name=":4">Rochowicz, pp. 26–27</ref> For anti-submarine warfare, they were equipped with rocket-torpedo launchers and three helicopters, and their crew numbered up to 744 people.<ref name=":4" /> In English-language literature, they are sometimes referred to as "[[battlecruiser]]s", although this designation lacks official justification.<ref name=":82" />

The ship ''[[Romanian frigate Mărășești|Muntenia]]'', with a displacement of 5,790 tons, was constructed and built in [[Romania]] in the 1980s. It was initially somewhat ambitiously designated as a light helicopter cruiser but was reclassified as a destroyer in 1990, along with a name change.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ISTORIC Distrugătorul Mărăşeşti. Asul de treflă al Marinei Regale Române |url=https://www.navy.ro/despre/organizare/istoricF111.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111043710/http://www.navy.ro/despre/organizare/istoricF111.php |archive-date=2018-11-11 |website=Forțele Navale Române |language=Romanian}}</ref> The ship and its classification reflected the ambitions of dictator [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] amid limited industrial capabilities. It carried eight Soviet [[P-15 Termit|P-20M]] medium-range anti-ship missiles but lacked anti-aircraft missile armament and was equipped with two light helicopters without means for long-range anti-submarine warfare.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Grotnik |first=Tomasz |year=2007 |title=Mărăşeşti. Stara fregata w nowej roli |journal=Nowa Technika Wojskowa |language=pl |publisher=Magnum-X |volume=10 |pages=77–82}}</ref>