Or Italian subs can sink some enroute
And Italian frogmen damage others while they are anchored in a neutral port
Would Italian's attack soviet war ships? Doesn't that risk escalation. Already the Soviets are saying they will mobilise for Czechslovakia
75%+ of the Crews are killed in the Purge, ships contribute to the Great Patriotic war in basically no useful way shape or form.
Most of the crews will end up in the Gulag.
This seems likely for the crew but really the ships wouldn't be useful stopping axis supplies?