On 16 July 1987, she was temporarily transferred to the Black Sea Fleet and on 30 July delivered to the Sevastopol Marine Plant for repairs and modernization as prototype for Project 01090 prior to transfer to the Northern Fleet. As the work began, the design for the modernization was changed to Project 01091. The modernization was to be completed by 30 September 1989, and differed only from the Project 01090 modernization of her sister ship Smetlivy in that she was to receive experimental nonacoustic submarine detection equipment instead of the Kaira sonar that Smetlivy was given. To provide space for the equipment the aft gun turret was to be removed and the complex was to be installed at the stern helicopter pad, with two sponsons for lowering towed antennas. The modernization was 70% complete by the fall of the Soviet Union.
