The Sverdlov-class cruisers, Soviet designation Project 68bis, were the last conventional gun cruisers built for the Soviet Navy. They were built in the 1950s and were based on Soviet, German, and Italian designs and concepts developed prior to the Second World War. The cruisers of Project 68bis became the biggest series in the history of national shipbuilding.

The Sverdlov-class cruisers were improved and slightly enlarged versions of the Chapayev class. They had the same main armament, machinery and side protection as the earlier ships, but had increased fuel capacity for greater range, an all welded hull, improved underwater protection, increased anti-aircraft artillery and radar.

The Sverdlov class displaced 13600 tons standard and 16640 tons at full load. They were 210 m long overall and 205 m long at the waterline. They had a beam of 22 m and draft of 7,38 and typically had a complement of 1270. The hull was a completely welded new design and the ships had a double bottom for over 75% of their length. The ship also had 23 watertight bulkheads. The Sverdlovs had six boilers providing steam to two shafts with geared steam turbines generating 110000 shaft horsepower. This gave the ships a maximum speed of 32,7 knots. The cruisers had a range of 5700 nautical miles at 17 knots.]

Main armament included twelve 152 mm/57 cal B-38 guns mounted in four triple Mk5-bis turrets. They also had twelve 100 mm/56 cal Model 1934 guns in six twin SM-5-1 mounts. For anti-aircraft weaponry, the cruisers had 37 mm anti-aircraft guns in sixteen twin mounts and were also equipped with ten 533 mm torpedo tubes in two mountings of five each.

The Sverdlovs had 100 mm belt armor and had a 50 mm armored deck. The turrets were shielded by 175 mm armor and the conning tower, by 150 mm armor.

Cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov laid down on 23 February 1951 at the Shipyard Shipyard No.444 named after A. Marti, Nikolaev (yard No.385), launched on 29 November 1951, commissioned on 30 December 1954 and was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet.

On 28 August 1998 the cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov was excluded from the lists of the Black Sea Fleet and from 2001 - as museum-ship in Novorossiysk.