Azur Lane's personification of what would have been the Soviet Navy's definitive WWII aircraft carrier design, Project 72.
History
While Project 72/Volga wasn't the first CV project the Soviets considered, she was born out of changing Soviet naval planning and developments in carrier operations by the US, UK, and Japanese navies as the war progressed.
Project 72 was designed in 1944 as a 30,000 ton carrier that took inspiration from Illustrious capable of carrying 60+ aircraft, but progress was slow since priorities went to the ongoing fight on the Eastern Front towards Berlin. In any case, post-war shipbuilding priority went to submarines, cruisers (like the unfinished Chapayev), and destroyers, and larger ship types were given less consideration.
