Over the past months —and even years— there has been virtually no concrete news regarding the recovery and maintenance work on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, leading to increasing uncertainty about the future of the Russian Navy’s only ship of its kind. Although it was repeatedly reported that sea trials and a return to service were imminent, a series of updates from Russian local media has cast serious doubt on those expectations. Some reports even suggest that the Navy is seriously considering the vessel’s retirement and dismantling.
The Admiral Kuznetsov is currently the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy, inherited from a time when the Soviet Navy sought to rival the United States Navy for control of the seas. Designed and built during the Soviet era as a replacement for the earlier Kiev-class aircraft-carrying cruisers, the class now comprises three units — two of which, the Liaoning and the Shandong, are in service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy. The Shandong was built entirely in Chinese shipyards, while the Liaoning was heavily modified after being acquired from Ukraine years ago.
Unlike the high operational readiness of its Chinese counterparts, the Admiral Kuznetsov has been undergoing a prolonged and troubled maintenance and modernization process since 2017, aimed at eventually bringing it back into service. These works, carried out at the 82nd Ship Repair Plant, have been plagued by delays, setbacks, and complications.
As previously reported, since going out of service in 2017, “…the Kuznetsov has suffered a long series of port incidents that have delayed modernization work. From the collapse and sinking of the PD-50 floating dry dock in October 2018 at the 82nd Ship Repair Yard, to a major fire in December 2019, which caused the death of at least two workers and left a dozen injured due to smoke inhalation.”
To this were added —according to 2024 reports— allegations “…triggered by the discovery of numerous defects in the work carried out on the carrier, and a new fire onboard in late December 2022. That last incident reportedly caused no significant damage or injuries among the crew.”
With all these precedents, Russian local media have recently painted a picture that could signal the end of the iconic aircraft carrier, potentially concluding a long and troubled saga.
Specifically, the outlet Izvestia, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Russian Navy’s High Command is considering ending the repair program led by the United Shipbuilding Corporation. The outlet also noted that the recovery work on the vessel is currently suspended and has made no significant progress.
Additionally, it was reported that senior naval officials are in talks with the shipyard to determine next steps, which could include the Admiral Kuznetsov’s decommissioning in the short term, followed by its scrapping.
Although no official confirmation has been made, several factors appear to be influencing the evaluation of a definitive retirement. Chief among them is the vessel’s age — now approaching four decades since its 1990 commissioning. Also relevant are the limited resources available for the program, particularly in a context where other projects —such as the construction of new attack and ballistic missile submarines— offer greater strategic value.
This prioritization has likely been intensified by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has required significant resources for sustained operations in the land, air, space, and cyber domains.
Moreover, recent advancements in land-based cruise missiles —including hypersonic variants— cast doubt on the survivability of aircraft carriers in high-intensity naval warfare. Nevertheless, such threats are still offset by the valuable naval airpower and force projection capabilities that carriers provide in military operations beyond national borders.
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