Russia’s only big warship, Admiral Kuznetsov, was once seen as the star of its sea force. But now, it’s known more for its misfortunes than for its fighting strength. It started work in 1985 and began full service in the early 1990s. It was made to show off Soviet, then Russian, might on the world’s waters.
Instead, it has spent most of its existence moored in port, sidelined by mechanical failures, fires, and repair costs that continue to accumulate.
A Carrier Crafted from Compromises
Since the beginning, Kuznetsov has suffered from design weaknesses. Unlike the nuclear carriers that the U.S. Navy employs, it burns mazut, a heavy, tar-like oil that’s inefficient, dirty, and notoriously unforgiving on its engines.
The consequence: plumes of soot-filled black smoke drifting behind it—a pollution threat and an unmistakable warning to anyone observing.
Its faulty propulsion has left it stranded more often than not, and tugboats are commonly used to escort it to and from the harbor. Mechanical problems have been chronic, from power outages to electrical component failures, with maintenance teams in a constant battle to keep it running.
A History of Accidents on the High Seas
The carrier’s record is more akin to a roll call of accidents than successful missions. During its 2016 deployment off Syrian shores, the ship experienced the loss of several planes, attributable not to enemy action but to malfunctioning arrestor cables and outdated launch gear.
Those mishaps exposed the ship’s limited capacity to operate carrier-based aircraft safely. Mix in some structural corrosion and substandard workmanship, and some repair crews have publicly wondered if the ship could even survive a serious accident. At one time, U.S. Navy observers were said to have monitored Kuznetsov less as an enemy and more because it might sink.
Repairs Gone Wrong
In 2017, the carrier was taken into dry dock in Murmansk for long-overdue modernization, intended to lengthen its operational life and address its most serious issues. The project has been marred by disaster, however.
In 2018, the floating dock holding the ship unexpectedly sank, sending a crane crashing onto its deck and causing serious damage. Since then, onboard fires have broken out more than once—some fatal—further delaying progress.
The repair schedule has slipped repeatedly, and sources suggest that work may have quietly stopped altogether as military leaders debate whether the ship is worth saving.
The Bigger Picture
Keeping Kuznetsov afloat isn’t so much about repairing a ship as whether Russia still needs to have an aircraft carrier at all. The conflict in Ukraine has bled the defense budget, realigned priorities toward land warfare, and made it harder to get the parts and technology for repairs under sanctions.
Even some of the crew have been redeployed to fight on the front. In the Navy, there is increasing skepticism that carriers have a place in the missile-saturated, drone-infested world of contemporary warfare. Former Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants has publicly referred to carriers as “relics” and encouraged the transition toward unmanned vehicles.
A Flagship Without a Future?
Although official projections continue to identify carriers for the Northern and Pacific Fleets, no construction is currently underway, and the chances of Kuznetsov ever entering service again appear to dwindle with each passing year.
The ship’s long, tortuous history has served as a metaphor for the larger Russian naval modernization issues—aging infrastructure, low funding, and declining industrial base, all exacerbated by war and sanctions.
Other great powers, such as the U.S. and China, are building out their carrier fleets. Russia, however, might soon see its sole carrier steaming off to the scrap heap. If so, Admiral Kuznetsov will be a cautionary tale—a grand vision spoiled by technical problems, budget constraints, and shifting conceptions of what naval power implies in the 21st century.