Launched on 30 May 1975, the vessel was designed to operate in an anti-submarine role in the Soviet Navy, with armament built around the Metel Anti-Ship Complex.

Part of the Northern Fleet, the vessel undertook operations in the Atlantic Ocean, including visits to Congo and Cuba, and participating in the Atlantic-84 major naval exercise in 1984.

[2] The design, by N. P. Sobolov, combined a powerful missile armament with good seakeeping for a blue water role.

[4] The ships initially retained the same BPK designation as the larger vessels but were designated Guard Ship (Сторожевой Корабль, SKR) from 28 July 1977 to reflect their substantial greater anti-ship capability than the earlier members of the class and the Soviet strategy of creating protected areas for friendly submarines close to the coast.

Defence against aircraft was provided by forty 4K33 OSA-M (SA-N-4 'Gecko') surface to air missiles which were launched from two sets of twin-arm ZIF-122 launchers.

[11] The vessel, named for a Russian word that can be translated as frisky, was commissioned on 30 December and joined the Northern Fleet.

In Cuba, they also hosted a celebration in honour of the foundation of the Soviet Union as well as undertaking joint exercises in the Caribbean Sea.

On this trip, Rezvyy, along with the Project 1134A cruiser Admiral Isakov, sailed within 30 miles (48 km) of the Mississippi Delta, the closest that a Soviet Navy vessel had been to the US mainland since they started entering the Caribbean in 1969.

[17] The ship also took part in large naval exercises, like Atlantic-84, which ran between 31 March and 8 April 1984 and involved over 29 warships including the Project 1144 Orlan (NATO reporting name 'Kirov'-class) battlecruiser Kirov, in the Atlantic Ocean.