The Admiral Spiridov-class monitors were significantly larger than their predecessors, the Charodeika class, and were 254 feet (77.4 m) long at the waterline.

The ship carried 280 long tons (280 t) of coal which gave her a range of 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km; 1,600 mi) at full speed.

[1] The monitors were ultimately designed to be armed with four Obukhov 9-inch rifled guns, a pair in each turret.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, a 9-inch mortar was fitted to attack the thin deck armor of enemy ships, but accuracy was poor and they were later removed, probably in the early 1880s.

She was launched on 28 August 1868 and then transferred to Kronstadt for fitting out as the shallow waters around Saint Petersburg prevented deep-draft ships from being completed.

This added more delays as the dockyard there lacked the equipment to efficiently fit out the ships, and she officially entered service in 1869 at the cost of 1,177,500 rubles.

By this time, her role in Russian war plans was to defend the Gulf of Riga against an anticipated German amphibious landing.