Key Points and Summary – After years of embarrassing failures, including fires and a sinking dry-dock, Russia might scrap its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.
-According to the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the decision to end the carrier’s long-stalled overhaul seems nearly certain.
-A retired Russian admiral even stated that classic aircraft carriers are “a thing of the past,” vulnerable to modern missiles.
-The demise of the beleaguered warship, once a symbol of naval might, underscores the decline of Russia’s blue-water ambitions as it shifts focus to building smaller amphibious assault ships.
Admiral Kuznetsov: Russia Could Soon Scrap Its Only Aircraft Carrier
After nearly a decade of stalled repairs, budget overruns, fires, and farce, Russia appears ready to abandon its one and only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.
Long touted as a symbol of Moscow’s naval might, the beleaguered warship has instead become a punchline — and its retirement now seems all but inevitable.
Cold War Relic to be Scrapped
According to a report in the Russian newspaper Izvestia, the Navy and United Shipbuilding Corporation are poised to make the final call on the fate of the Cold War-era flattop.
Unnamed officials suggest the decision is effectively made: the overhaul is over, the carrier is done.
The Admiral Kuznetsov’s troubles are hardly new.
Since entering drydock in 2017, it has suffered fires, a crane collapse, a flooded dock, and the quiet disbandment of its crew.
Satellite photos from recent years have shown the ship gathering rust, not momentum.
The original plan was to finish upgrades by 2021, including improvements to its propulsion and electronics. However, work ground to a halt long ago. In truth, many suspected this day would come.
Few thought it would take this long.
“Aircraft carriers in their classic form are a thing of the past,” Retired Admiral Sergei Avakyants told Russia’s pro-Putin national newspaper Izvestia. They’re expensive, slow-moving targets, he argued, that are obsolete in an age of drones and precision missiles. “They can be destroyed in minutes by modern weapons.” And with that, the last official fig leaf of justification for Kuznetsov’s survival may have dropped.
Dying Aircraft Carrier: A Dent to Putin’s Propaganda
There is a certain irony here. For years, Russia clung to its carrier not just as a tool of war but as a token of global status. An aircraft carrier is the bare minimum required to be taken seriously as a blue-water navy.
But prestige doesn’t pay the bills, especially not during a grinding land war in Ukraine. Moscow’s naval priorities, like everything else, are being reined in by hard limits on money, manpower, and manufacturing.
Of course, official doctrine still fantasises about having a carrier in both the Northern and Pacific Fleets by 2030. But with no replacement even on the drawing board, and earlier designs for a nuclear-powered flattop long abandoned, the notion is pure theatre.
Russia to Focus on Assault Boats
Instead, Russia is focusing on building a pair of amphibious assault ships. These “Ivan Rogov”-class vessels are being built in occupied Crimea and are expected to deploy drones, helicopters, and hundreds of troops.
Now, the Admiral Kuznetsov is something of a cautionary tale. The broken, large ship is emblematic of the Russian regime’s arguably oversized and doomed ambitions.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
Fighter Jet Fails
Russia’s Su-57 Felon Stealth Fighter Is a Waste of Rubles
