The light cruiser Kerch, formerly known as the Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta, was an Italian ship received by the USSR as reparations. She belonged to the fourth production series of a fairly large family of Italian Condottieri-type light cruisers. The Duca d'Aosta and the Eugenio di Savoia were further developments of this type of light cruiser, building on the designs of the third series cruisers, the Raimondo Montecuccoli and the Muzio Attendolo. The Duca d'Aosta was laid down on October 29, 1932, at the O.T.O. shipyard in Livorno. She was launched on April 22, 1934, and accepted into the fleet on July 13, 1935. With the outbreak of war, the cruiser actively engaged in combat operations, participating in mine laying and convoy operations. During the Battle of Calabria, the Duca d'Aosta covered the battleship Giulio Cesare, which had been damaged by the Warspite's fire. On December 4, 1942, American bombers hit her in Naples, and she had to undergo repairs. After Italy's surrender in 1943, the Duca d'Aosta was interned in Suez and used as a training ship. In 1950, she was transferred to the USSR as war reparations. Upon arrival in Sevastopol, she was renamed Kerch. On February 20, 1959, the Kerch was disarmed and removed from the navy. On March 13, she was handed over for scrapping.

The Kerch was introduced in Update 2.13 "Winged Lions", and is depicted in her 1953 state. She has excellent mobility and fairly good main-caliber artillery, as well as excellent anti-aircraft batteries. However, her main-caliber artillery has a low rate of fire, and the cruiser herself has mediocre survivability. In battle, the ship is most useful as a hunter of enemy destroyers. her lightweight construction and insufficient armor will inevitably have a negative impact in clashes with enemy cruisers, even light ones, so it is better to avoid such encounters and take advantage of the Kerch's high speed.