The Riga class was the NATO reporting name for class of frigates built for the Soviet Navy in the 1950s. The Soviet designation for these ships was Storozhevoi Korabl (escort ship) Project 50 Gornostay (Ermine stoat).

The class introduced high pressure steam turbines and new radars into Soviet service. The bridge, gun turrets, and magazines were covered in 8 mm armour. The main armament comprised three single dual-purpose 100 mm guns with remote power control and a single Yakor fire control system. They had conventional weaponry consisting of three standard antiaircraft / mixed turrets complemented by dual 37mm mounts, an anti-ship 533-mm torpedo tubes, and one MBU-200 ASW rocket launcher. The machinery comprised two TV-9 steam turbines with two boilers.

There was a modernisation programme in the late 1950s early 1960s. This included fitting anti-submarine rocket launchers (RBU-2500) new radar and adding permanent ballast for improved stability.

The Project 50 Riga class was a rather simplistic and straight forward design. With their basic capabilities, moderate size and ease of operation, they made perfect export vessels for smaller navies where such ships could easily fill the multi-purpose role, taking the place of large minesweepers and actual destroyers. A total of 68 ships were built by Nikolayev yards (20 ships), Komsomolsk-on-Amur (7 ships) and Kaliningrad (41 ships), distributed among the four fleets.

Frigate SKR-77 laid down 17 June 1957 at the Shipyard No.820, Kaliningrad (yard No.134), launched 20 January 1958, commissioned 29 June 1958 and was assigned to the Northern Fleet.

28 February 1969 transferred from Northern Fleet to the Black Sea Fleet. 19 April 1979 renamed to Sovetsky Dagestan, and 07 August 1979 transferred to the Caspian Flotilia.

Frigate Sovetsky Dagestan was excluded from the lists of the Caspian Flotilia on 04 May 1989. From 12 July 1989 - civil training ship in Makhachkala.