Soviet destroyer Kharkov

Before her loss in 1943, Kharkov exchanged her two 21-K mounts for six 37-millimeter (1.5 in) 70-K AA guns.[4]

In the first weeks of the war, the squadron of the Black Sea Fleet was tasked with disrupting Axis supply lines by bombarding Constanța and its oil tanks. The time of the bombardment was set for 05:00 on 26 June, to be preceded by a 30-minute airstrike by aircraft of the fleet beginning an hour earlier. For the raid, the heavy cruiser Voroshilov and Moskva were to cover the bombardment of the port by the latter's sister ship Kharkov, Smyshleny and the destroyer Soobrazitelny. To prevent Axis air attack, the ships began to depart Sevastopol at night, at 18:00 on 25 June. However, before exiting the bay, the ships were ordered back to port because the plan was changed by the People's Commissar for the Navy, Vitse-admiral (Vice Admiral) Nikolay Kuznetsov, who ordered that the two destroyer leaders conduct the bombardment, with the other ships in support. Moskva and Kharkov departed Sevastopol Bay at 20:10, initially heading towards Odessa as a deception measure and then turning towards their destination slightly more than an hour later, followed by the support group.[13]

On the morning of 26 June, Kharkov and Moskva bombarded Constanţa, although the airstrike was not carried out. The sisters fired 350 rounds between them at oil tanks and railway stations from a range of about 20 km (12 mi), blowing up an ammunition train and inflicting considerable damage. As they were preparing to depart at 04:16 after having fired for 10 minutes, they were engaged by German coastal artillery and the Romanian destroyers Regina Maria and Mărăști at ranges between 11,000 to 16,000 m (12,000 to 17,000 yd). Shortly afterwards, Moskva struck a mine which broke the ship in half;[14] prior to the raid, the ships conducting it were not given precise charts of minefield locations.[15] Later that morning, Kharkov briefly had her steering knocked out by a near miss from a German bomber.[16] At 06:43 the Soviet submarine Shch-206 attacked and missed Kharkov with one torpedo and then missed Soobrazitelny with two more at 07:00.[17]

Kharkov was repaired by 18 July and, together with the light cruiser Komintern and the destroyers Smyshlennyy, Bodry and Shaumyan and numerous smaller craft, covered the retreat of the Danube Flotilla to Odessa during the next several days.[12] Kharkov bombarded Axis positions multiple times during the Siege of Odessa and helped to escort the evacuation convoys from Odessa to Sevastopol in October.[18] During the Siege of Sevastopol she provided gunfire support and evacuated cut-off troops from elsewhere in the Crimea into Sevastopol and brought in reinforcements from Caucasian ports. The ship helped to transport the 388th Rifle Division from Novorossisk and Tuapse to Sevastopol between 7–13 December, the 79th Naval Rifle Brigade on 19–20 December and the 354th Rifle Division between 21–22 December, bombarding German positions in the interim.[19] Between February and July 1942, Kharkov bombarded German troops many times and brought in reinforcements and supplies for Sevastopol, evacuating wounded and refugees as she returned to port. On 18 June, the ship's steering was knocked out by near misses by German bombers and she had to be towed by the flotilla leader Tashkent.[20]

After repairs Kharkov bombarded Axis positions near Feodosiya on 2–3 August and provided fire support for the defenders of Novorossiysk on 1–4 September. Between 8–11 September she ferried the 137th and 145th Rifle Regiments along with the 3rd Naval Rifle Brigade from Poti to Tuapse and Gelendzhik and a month later she transported 12,600 men of the 8th, 9th and 10th Guards Rifle Brigades from Poti to Tuapse to reinforce the defenses there between 20 and 23 October.[21] On 29 November 1942 she escorted Voroshilov on a mission to bombard Axis positions on Feodonisi and bombarded Yalta during the night of 19/20 December. On the night of 4 February 1943, the Soviets made a series of amphibious landings to the west of Novorossiysk, behind German lines. Kharkov, the light cruisers Krasnyi Kavkaz and Krasnyi Krym, and Besposhchadny and Soobrazitelny provided fire support for the main landing, but the Soviet troops there were wiped out by 6 February, although one secondary landing was successful. Kharkov bombarded German positions near Novorossiysk again on the night of 21–22 February. Anapa was bombarded on the night of 13/14 May and Feodosiya on 22/23 May.[22] During the night of 5/6 October 1943 Kharkov and the destroyers Besposhchadny and Sposobny bombarded Yalta, Alushta and Feodosia and were attacked by Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers of III./StG 3 on their return voyage. Kharkov was damaged by their first attack and had to be towed by Sposobny. The second attack damaged all three ships and Sposobny took Besposhchadny under tow as well. The next attack sank both Kharkov and Besposhchadny. Sposobny was sunk by the fourth wave while trying to rescue survivors. This incident prompted Stalin to issue an order forbidding the use of ships destroyer-sized and larger without his express permission.[23]