"Admiral Kuznetsov": Russia may scrap its only aircraft carrier as modernisation stalls

Russia may abandon efforts to repair and modernise its only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, following years of setbacks and rising costs, according to a report by the Russian daily Izvestia. 

The Russian Defence Ministry has suspended work on the vessel, and a final decision on whether to continue the project is expected soon, Caliber.Az cites. 

Citing unnamed sources, Izvestia reported that representatives from the Russian Navy’s Main Command and the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) are expected to assess the feasibility of restoring the warship and returning it to the fleet. The ship, commissioned in 1990, has been undergoing modernisation since 2017 but has suffered multiple accidents, including a major onboard fire and the sinking of Russia’s largest floating dock.

A decision to halt repairs would be justified, former Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants was quoted as saying. He reportedly argued that conventional aircraft carriers have become obsolete in modern warfare, describing them as expensive, vulnerable, and ineffective. 

According to him, future naval power will depend on robotic systems and unmanned aircraft, and if Admiral Kuznetsov is not restored, it should be dismantled and scrapped.

However, not all experts agree. Military analyst Ilya Kramnik of the Russian Academy of Sciences' IMEMO Institute believes aircraft carriers still play a critical role. He said the absence of such vessels would leave the Russian Navy overly dependent on land-based aviation, limiting operational reach.

The carrier was originally expected to rejoin the fleet in 2022, but the deadline has been repeatedly pushed back. Built in Mykolaiv and laid down in 1982, Admiral Kuznetsov is the last of the Soviet-era Project 1143 heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers. Over its lifetime, it completed seven long-distance deployments and saw combat during Russia’s intervention in Syria between 2016 and 2017, with its air wing conducting over 400 sorties against militant targets.

By Sabina Mammadli