Grozyashchy was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1939, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the Winter War of 1939–1940 against the Finns. After the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Grozyashchy participated in the Gulf of Riga Campaign and laid minefields in the Gulf of Finland. She was badly damaged by a mine in July and was under repair for over a month. The ship was crippled by German bombs in late September and did not become operational for almost a year. Grozyashchy provided naval gunfire support in 1944 for the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive.

The Gnevny class were a group of 29 destroyers built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1930s. They are sometimes known as the Gremyashchiy class and the official Soviet designation was Project 7. These ships fought in World War II.