Summary and Key Points: Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s only aircraft carrier, has been out of service since 2017 and is headed for the scrap yard after $1 billion and nine years of failed repairs. The PD-50 dry dock sank under the ship in 2018, a 70-ton crane fell through the flight deck, and fires killed shipyard workers. By 2025 the navy gave up and sent the crew to Ukraine. Her sister ship sails for China as the Liaoning.
Admiral Kuznetsov: The Story of Russia’s Last Aircraft Carrier
Russia may have spent about $1 billion and nine years on a ship likely to be scrapped.
The cursed Admiral Kuznetsov, the country’s only aircraft carrier, is about to meet an ignominious end.
The vessel has endured a lot of bad luck, leaving many to wonder whether the whole reboot was worth the money and effort.
The Kuznetsov has been out of service since 2017, and the trouble only mounted after it returned to port after a lackluster deployment in Syria. In 2018, the ship was moored to a floating dry dock known as the PD-50. The dry dock was faulty too, and a power failure sank the structure.
Deadly Accident Begins a Disastrous Period
During the accident, a 70-ton crane fell onto the flight deck. This punched a hole several feet across in the flight deck. One shipyard worker died. After the PD-50 was submerged, Russia had no other way to keep the Kuznetsov in dry dock. Russia tried to move the vessel to the 35th Shipyard until it could find an alternative location. Work to repair it ground to a halt.
Admiral Kuznetsov: Fires Plague the Ship
That was not the only problem when repairs finally resumed. In 2018, a welder failed to ensure the process would run smoothly and did not account for the possibility of an accident. The welding sparks hit a fuel line, and a fire broke out. This killed two workers and wounded at least 12 others. Extensive damage occurred below deck.
Another blaze occurred in December 2022, and an earlier fire in 2009 had many wondering whether this carrier would ever be safe to operate and maintain. Then, the navy faced another problem. With so much money being spent on the Kuznetsov, greedy hands got in on the till. The shipyard leader was arrested in 2021 for embezzling funds.
This Is a Lost Cause Aircraft Carrier
Each year, the Russians pushed back the carrier’s readiness deadline. By the summer of 2025, the navy was ready to give up. There was no way that the ship could sail again. Naval leaders also saw carriers as becoming obsolete because of anti-ship missiles and drones.
The ship was finally going to be decommissioned, and the high command even sent the carrier’s sailors to fight in Ukraine. The Kuznetsov is moored in Murmansk, rusting away. Financial sanctions robbed the ship of spare parts. No shipbuilder wanted to take responsibility because of the corruption scandal. Repair costs mounted, and the Russian high military command was more focused on prosecuting the land war against Ukraine than on investing more time and money in the carrier. This was a stunning end to the 40-year-old ship.
Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Aircraft Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
A Struggling Navy Hurts Long-term Strategy
As a result, Russia has no operational aircraft carrier, putting its navy on par with those in the developing world. The Kremlin cannot project power beyond its region, and the military lacks a blue-water navy capable of carrying the flag abroad.
The Navy just cannot handle the modern era. Its submarine force is impressive, but its inability to form and deploy a carrier strike group robs the country of the ability to strategically dominate near-shore waters or hotspots around the globe.
This means Russia will either have to invest in more submarines or sea drones to modernize. The country simply lacks the maritime industrial base to keep a carrier in business. The irony is that Russia ended up helping the Chinese with its carrier ambitions.
The Chinese Navy’s Aircraft Carrier Efforts Have Been Successful
The Kuznetsov’s sister ship, the Varyag, ended up with the People’s Liberation Army Navy and became the Liaoning carrier. This has stung Russia. It shows that the Chinese are better adept at modern shipbuilding and maintenance.
The Kuznetsov is now at the end of its service life. Even the propulsion plant cannot be saved because of faulty boilers. The engines were so bad that the carrier usually had to be either pulled or escorted by tugboats.
No Aircraft Are Ready for Russian Carriers Anyway
Russia has failed to continue its troubled era of carrier aviation. It lacks decent carrier-borne fighter jets to populate the flight deck. There was once a movement to develop a carrier version of the new Su-75 Checkmate, but many saw it as a bridge too far.
Su-75 Checkmate Russia Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: UAC.
Selling the carrier won’t work because it is in such poor shape. No country wants to take on the job of getting it back in service. The Kuzntetosov is headed to the scrap yard.
Given the problems of the Russian military, admirals are unlikely to heed the cautionary tale of the Kuznetsov. These lessons should be taught at officer academies and staff colleges.
Unfortunately, higher-ups will likely ignore it, and the mistakes are liable to be repeated. This experience is a memory that the Russian shipbuilding industry is ignoring.
It shows that Moscow has high ambitions but not the capability to make its navy into one of the best in the world. The failure will serve as a warning and become a case study that no country wants to repeat.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Author of over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back on the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
