Marshal Ustinov – Pennant 055 Project 1164 Slava class cruiser was assigned to the 43rd Missile Ship Division of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.

The Slava class cruiser is a smaller version of the dual-purpose surface warfare Kirov class. The ship is considered one of the most powerful combatants in the Russian Navy.

The vessel is armed with:

- 16 x P-500 Bazalt (SS-N-12 Sandbox) ASMs – a turbojet-powered supersonic cruise missile. The P-500 Bazalt measures 11.7m and has a range of 297nmi (550km/341.8mi), a launch weight of 6,000kg with boosters and a flight weight of 4,800kg. The warhead is believed to be either a 500kt nuclear or a 950kg semi-armor-piercing high-explosive (SAP HE) warhead. The turbojet can carry the missile to cruising height – up to 20,000m and can fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2.5 at maximum altitude and Mach 1.5 at low level.

- 64 x S-300PMU Favorit (SN-N-6 Grumble) long-range SAMs – a missile designed to protect task groups from attacks by single or multiple aircraft and has the ability to engage up to 6 targets simultaneously. The S-300PMU Favorit measures 7.25m, has a range of 40.5nmi (75km/46.6mi), and a launch weight of 1,665kg. The warhead is armed with a 130kg blast fragmentation warhead.

- OSA-M (SA-N-4 Gecko) SAM system – a point defense missile system with surface-to-surface capability. The OSA-M measures 3.15m, has a range of 4.9nmi (9km/5.6mi), and launch weight of 127kg. The warhead is armed with a 14.5kg high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead.

In December 2016 Marshal Ustinov returned to the Northern Fleet after a 5 year overhaul at Zvyozdochka Shipyard where the vessel was upgraded with an advanced missile system:

- Kalibr (SS-N-27A Sizzler) – three-stage anti-ship missile. The weapon system is made up of 2 missiles. The main subsonic long-range cruise missile carries a shorter-range supersonic sprint missile. The Kalibr Sizzler measures 8.22m, has a range of 356.4nmi (660km/410.1mi), and a launch weight of ~2,000kg. The warhead is armed with a 200kg blast/fragmentation warhead.