On Friday, Andrei Kostin, Chairman of the United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia, told Businessman newspaper that the only aircraft carrier in Russia, the “Admiral Kuznetsov,” which has been in service for 40 years, may be sold or dismantled.
Before Kostin made the above remarks, earlier this month, the “News Report” cited unnamed sources as saying that the long-term refitting and maintenance work on this aircraft carrier has been suspended.
The “Admiral Kuznetsov” was launched in 1985 and entered service in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It participated in Russian military operations supporting then-president Bashar al-Assad in Syria, with carrier-based aircraft carrying out airstrikes against rebels.
However, this aircraft carrier played no role in the Ukrainian conflict and has been in a state of retirement since 2017. It has been undergoing modernization upgrades near the Russian Northern Fleet base in the Murmansk region, but progress has been slow.
Efforts to overhaul it have repeatedly encountered accidents and setbacks. Moreover, the aircraft carrier’s propulsion system operates inefficiently, emitting thick black smoke that makes it easily detectable at sea.
During a flag-raising ceremony for a new nuclear submarine in northwestern Russia on Thursday, when asked about the fate of the “Admiral Kuznetsov,” Kostin clearly stated that no final decision had been made yet, but he implied that it was no longer worth investing in the aircraft carrier.
“We believe that repairing it is no longer meaningful. It has been in service for over forty years, and its construction costs are extremely high… I believe this issue will be resolved through sale or dismantling,” Businessman newspaper quoted Kostin as saying.
Moscow authorities consider detailed information about the readiness status of a single warship to be sensitive, and the Russian Defense Ministry does not comment on such issues.
Opinions among Russian Navy veterans and experts on the fate of the ship vary. Some told News Report that the ship is outdated, while others believe that the ship or its successor could provide the capabilities that Russia needs.
(This article is based on a report by Reuters)