Kammala jumla mai zuwa: "Varyag" an ƙaddamar da shi a ranar 7 ga Afrilu 1963 kuma an karɓa zuwa Pacific Fleet a ranar 23 ga Satumba 1965 a matsayin wani ɓangare na 175th Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade, yana tafiya zuwa Vladivostok ta hanyar hanyar arewacin teku. Jirgin ruwan ya yi aiki a Tekun Indiya tsakanin 13 ga Disamba 1971 da 6 ga Maris 1972 a matsayin wani ɓangare na kasancewar sojojin ruwa na Soviet a lokacin yakin basasa.
Yaƙin Indo-Pakistan da alama a matsayin mai daidaitawa don tabbatar da rashin sa baki daga Royal Navy da US Navy. Tsakanin 1975 da 1981, "Varyag" ya sami gyare-gyare da sabuntawa, ya koma aiki a cikin Tekun Indiya tare da balaguro wanda ya haɗa da ziyarar Da Nang, Vietnam tsakanin 10 zuwa 14 ga Oktoba 1981. An haɗa jirgin zuwa Brigade na Yaƙin Jirgin Ruwa na 183 daga 1 ga Maris 1985, yana shiga cikin babban aikin jirgin ruwa na jirgin ruwa tare da sauran jiragen ruwa na Soviet tsakanin 7 da 10 Oktoba 1988.