Laid down at Nikolayev South (Shipyard No.444), Moskva was launched in 1965 and she was commissioned two years later.

Moskva was followed by Leningrad, which was commissioned in late 1968; there were no further vessels built, reportedly due to the poor handling of the ships in rough seas.

They were designed primarily as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels, and her weapons and sensor suite was optimized against the nuclear submarine threat.

Shipboard ASW armament included a twin SUW-N-1 launcher capable of delivering a FRAS-1 projectile carrying a 450 mm torpedo (or a 5 kiloton nuclear warhead); a pair of RBU-6000 ASW mortars; and a set of torpedo tubes.

A "Mare Tail" variable depth sonar worked in conjunction with heliborne sensors to hunt submarines.