The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s only aircraft carrier, has remained out of service for over eight years due to persistent fires, corruption, and aging systems.
- Built during the Soviet era, this 39-year-old vessel has become a symbol of the Russian Navy’s decline.
- Its repair timeline has been repeatedly extended, requiring significant overhauls of its flight deck, engines, and electronic systems.
- The sinking of the PD-50 dry dock in 2018 further complicated restoration efforts.
- Allegations of embezzlement during repairs and Russia’s limited shipbuilding capabilities cast doubt on the Kuznetsov’s return to service, making its future as a functional warship highly uncertain.
Russia’s Aging Aircraft Carrier Kuznetsov: Will It Ever Sail Again?
When asked if the Russian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, would ever return to sea, a colleague in Moscow quipped, “If you believe in that possibility, then you probably also believe in the Easter Bunny.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. The vessel has been docked at its berth in Murmansk for over eight years and has not been deployed since. Initially, repairs were expected to return the carrier to service more than two years ago. However, an onboard fire during maintenance indefinitely delayed those plans.
Signs of Aging
Like most ships in Russia’s increasingly deteriorating navy, the Kuznetsov is an aging vessel, built 39 years ago during the Soviet era. When it deployed off the Syrian coast in 2016, it became the subject of ridicule for emitting a thick plume of black smoke visible for miles as it sailed through the English Channel.
Russia’s senior naval leadership has even considered decommissioning the ship altogether, either replacing it with a new vessel or abandoning the idea of operating an aircraft carrier entirely. The ship’s condition is so poor that it requires a large tugboat to accompany it at sea in case its engines fail.
When the Kuznetsov was operational, a U.S. Navy vessel often shadowed it—not out of a desire to sink it in case of hostilities but rather to be in position to rescue its crew, as the carrier frequently appeared on the verge of breaking down.
The Kuznetsov’s operational record is also unimpressive. During its 2016 deployment, it lost two of its carrier-capable fighter jets. As the ship remained out of service, these jets were redeployed, with some later stationed at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria’s Latakia region to prevent further losses.
Lack of Industrial Capability
The primary reason the Russian Navy struggles to maintain or replace the Kuznetsov is that most of the Soviet-era shipbuilding facilities for this class of vessel are located in Ukraine.
These include the Nikolayev shipyards and the NITKA carrier pilot training facility in Crimea. While Russia regained control of the training center following the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the shipyards remain under Ukrainian control. The limited ship repair plants Russia still operates in its northern regions are inadequate for servicing a vessel the size of the Kuznetsov.
In fact, Russia has had to send its Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tankers for servicing in European Union shipyards due to its lack of domestic capabilities.
Russia had previously conducted maintenance on the Kuznetsov at the Severomorsk shipyards using the PD-50 floating dry dock, which was purchased from Sweden. However, in 2018, this dry dock sank due to inadequate maintenance of the pumps required to keep it afloat.
The only way to continue repairs after this incident was to rebuild and expand two parallel dry docks at the 35th Repair Shipyard. The carrier finally entered the newly refurbished shipyard in May 2022, but another fire broke out onboard in December 2022 while it was still under repair.
Initially, the refit was expected to be completed by 2024, but this deadline has been pushed back again due to the extensive need for electronic replacements. Additionally, major sections of the ship require significant repairs, including resurfacing the flight deck, refitting the ski-jump takeoff ramp, and overhauling the engine room.
Replacing the ship’s engines is another major challenge. The only facility capable of producing these engines is Ukraine’s Zorya-Mashproyekt, located alongside the Nikolayev shipyards, further complicating matters for Russia.
Corruption Plagues the Kuznetsov’s Repairs
Efforts to return the Kuznetsov to service are also hindered by widespread corruption, with repair funds allegedly siphoned off by officials.
Internal investigations and experts, such as former Russian naval officer Vyacheslav Konovalov, have reported that certain modernization projects, costing millions, were never actually implemented, with the funds disappearing instead. Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer put it more bluntly, stating, “Each additional day of repair is another million in someone’s pocket.”
Considering all these factors, the likelihood of the Kuznetsov ever re-entering service appears slim.
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