The "Admiral Nakhimov"-class cruisers were a group of four light cruisers built for the Imperial Russian Navy just before World War I began in 1914. Construction was interrupted by the Russian Revolution and only two of the ships were eventually completed well after the end of the Russian Civil War by the Soviets. "Chervona Ukraina" was the first ship completed and was built to essentially the original design. "Krasnyi Kavkaz" was much modified and completed five years after "Chervona Ukraina". Both ships participated in the Sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol after the Germans invaded Russia in June 1941. They ferried troops into the cities, evacuated wounded and bombarded the besieging German troops. "Chervona Ukraina" was bombed and sunk by dive bombers in November during one of these missions and "Krasny Kavkaz" was badly damaged by the same type of aircraft in January 1942. After her lengthy repairs were completed, the ship transported reinforcements to cities on the Black Sea coast during the Battle of the Caucasus. She was reclassified as a training ship in 1947 before she was sunk as a target in 1956. "Chervona Ukraina" was salvaged in 1947 and then became a hulked. She became a target ship in 1950.