 The Borodino @-@ class battlecruisers ( Russian : Линейные крейсера типа « Измаил » ) were a group of four battlecruisers ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy before World War I. Also referred to as the Izmail class , they were laid down in December 1912 at Saint Petersburg for service with the Baltic Fleet . Construction of the ships was delayed as many domestic factories were overloaded with orders and some components had to be ordered from abroad . The start of World War I slowed their construction still further as the imported components were often not delivered and domestic production was diverted into areas more immediately useful for the war effort . 
