Zheleznyakov was one of eight Fidonisy-class destroyers built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I.

She was originally named Korfu (Корфу) before she was renamed Petrovsky (Петровский) in 1925 and Zheleznyakov (Железняков) in 1939 after anarchist Anatoli Zhelezniakov.

The Fidonisy-class ships were designed as an improved version of the Derzky class with an additional 102-millimeter (4 in) gun.

[1] She was propelled by two Parsons steam turbines, each driving one propeller, designed to produce a total of 29,000 shaft horsepower (22,000 kW) using steam from five 3-drum Thorneycroft boilers for an intended maximum speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph).

Korfu carried enough fuel oil to give her a range of 2,050 nautical miles (3,800 km; 2,360 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).