Soviet Requests for Italian Warships
In 1930 a delegation of Soviet naval and industrial experts, headed by Aleksandr Sivkov, undertook an extensive visit to Italy. During this visit the Soviets probed the Italians on the possibility of purchasing a warship – either one nearing completion or one already completed. On 8 November 1930, the Italian Naval Minister, Ammiraglio Giuseppe Sirianni refused this request, citing Chapter I, Paragraph XVIII of the Washington Naval Treaty.
However the construction of new warships was offered instead, which eventually led to an order for the Flotilla Leader Tashkent.