Moscow’s sole aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov is essentially useless.
When it comes to naval prowess, the aircraft carrier is widely considered to be the pinnacle of any service’s sea-based fleet. These floating airports provide deterrence to aggressors, reassurance to allies, freedom of navigation, and power projection. The U.S. Navy’s fleet of eleven nuclear-powered carriers is far larger than any other country. Known for their large size and advanced capabilities, the Nimitz and Ford-class warships exemplify what a formidable carrier can do. Both Russia and China are working to match and perhaps exceed the naval capabilities the United States possesses. While the Russian Navy does possess a solid submarine fleet that is widely considered to be top-notch, its surface vessels are seriously lacking. In fact, Moscow’s sole aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov is essentially useless. The massive vessel has been primarily dry docked for the better part of the twenty-first century, constantly in a state of “maintenance.”
Introducing the Admiral Kuznetsov
When the carrier designated today as Admiral Kuznetsov was first commissioned in the Soviet Navy during the Cold War, it was intended to lead a two-ship class of aircraft carriers for the USSR. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s led to the dissolution of this goal. Kuznetsov’s sister ship Varyag was eventually sold to China since its construction phase was still incomplete at the time. Kuznetsov was fully built prior to the fall of the USSR, becoming operational in the Russian Navy in 1995. Originally, the aircraft carrier was designated as Tbilisi but was renamed Leonid Brezhnev and finally Kuznetsov to honor the Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov.
Nicknamed colloquially as the “troubled carrier,” Kuznetov’s service experience has been marred by unfortunate events. During the carrier’s maiden deployment in 2016 to Syria, a disastrous incident caused by faulty arrestor cables and outdated systems led to the crash of a MiG-29K in the Mediterranean. As detailed by USNI News, “A fighter assigned to the Russian carrier operating in the Eastern Mediterranean crashed during a landing approach on Sunday. The Mikoyan MiG-29K was part of a trio of MiGs that had sortied from Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov headed over Syria. At one point, for unknown reasons, one of the fighters turned back to the carrier and crashed while on approach to the carrier, the official said.” In 2018, a floating crane fell into the carrier’s deck, leading to the death of one worker onboard. A few months later, a fire started by a welding mishap in the carrier’s engine room led to the deaths of two workers and sent fourteen others to the hospital with injuries. Another fire broke out aboard the carrier in 2022, although this one was deemed to be “small” by Russian officials.
While Kuznetsov’s reentry to service was supposed to commence last year, no clear timeline for the carrier’s return to operational status has been outlined by the Russian Navy. In fact, the significant delays that have plagued the carrier suggest that Kuznetsov may not ever serve again.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
