The crew complement of the Storozhevoy class numbered 207 in peacetime, but this increased to 271 in wartime, as more personnel were needed to operate additional equipment.

Variations in fuel oil capacity meant that the range of the Project 7Us varied from 1,380 to 2,700 nautical miles (2,560 to 5,000 km; 1,590 to 3,110 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).

[5] Due to her late completion, Svobodny was equipped with Soyuz-7U anti-aircraft fire control, uniquely among the Black Sea Fleet ships of her class.

[7] To prevent her capture by the advancing German forces, the still-incomplete destroyer was towed to Sevastopol on 9 August without completing mooring trials and then to Poti, Georgia, on 2 November.

The ship also bombarded German positions with 22 shells from her main guns on 18 January before beginning a brief refit in February.

Svobodny resumed her previous duties and bombarded Axis positions on the coast of Feodosia Gulf on the night of 16 March.

[10] Svobodny departed from Novorossiysk as an escort for the transport Abkhaziya on 9 June, and was attacked by German bombers from II./KG 26 that night, although the two dozen torpedoes dropped by the latter missed.

Initial raids failed to hit the destroyer, but when Soviet smoke screens were lifted at 06:40 after German tanks attacked under their cover she moved to Korabelnaya Bay, where she was moored at the wharf.

[12] At 8:00 the German air attacks resumed, this time composed of Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers, whose bombs exploded much closer to Svobodny, inflicting casualties from fragments.

The wreck was raised by the Emergency Rescue Service of the Black Sea Fleet and scrapped at the Sevastopol Glavvtorchermet base in Inkerman during early 1953.