Russian media reported on July 11 local time that the Russian Ministry of Defense may give up repairing the only active aircraft carrier of the Russian Navy, "Admiral Kuznetsov," whose maintenance and modernization work has been suspended. Sources said that the Russian Navy and United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) have recently decided the future of the carrier. Experts stated that the carrier may be retired and sent for scrapping.

Former commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Avakyants, told the "Izvestia" newspaper that the decision to stop repairs is completely correct, and even with modernization, the Russian Navy does not need the "Admiral Kuznetsov."

He believes that an aircraft carrier is a very "expensive and inefficient" naval weapon, and the future belongs to robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles. If the decision is made not to continue repairs, the carrier can only be scrapped into metal materials.

The Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" TASS

Retired Russian Rear Admiral Chekmassov said that whether the Russian Navy needs an aircraft carrier largely depends on strategic planning documents, especially the "Basic Principles of National Maritime Activities Policy until 2030." The document mentions that both the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet need to have an aircraft carrier group.

Russian military expert Dandikin believes that although there has been development in unmanned systems on the surface and underwater, aviation support is still indispensable during long-range voyages.

"Of course, the situation of the 'Admiral Kuznetsov' is complicated: it takes a long time to repair, there are constant problems, and there was also a fire. However, many countries, including India and China, are currently developing aircraft carrier fleets, which indicates that such ships still have demand. As for how we decide, it depends on the judgment of the highest leadership and the Navy's General Staff," Dandikin said.

Researcher at the Center for Strategic Planning of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kramnik, also emphasized the importance of aircraft carriers. He believes that modern navies cannot do without air support, and without an aircraft carrier, they can only rely on land-based air forces. Therefore, the 'Admiral Kuznetsov' should be replaced by another aircraft carrier.

He explained, "Some people think that continuing the renovation and repair of the 'Admiral Kuznetsov' is not cost-effective. This ship is physically quite old. Its design is outdated, and its power plant is not very reliable. In 10 years, it will be 50 years old. Even if it can serve until 2040, it won't last long. Therefore, we should combine the experience accumulated from the 'Admiral Kuznetsov' to build another warship. We have the capability to do this, and we have shipyards capable of building ships of this class."

According to the information, the "Admiral Kuznetsov" was delivered to the Soviet Navy on December 25, 1990. During its service history, the ship has conducted seven long voyages. From November 2016 to January 2017, the ship participated in its first combat operation, with its fighter jets attacking targets in Syria. After returning from its first operation, the ship was sent for maintenance and began modernization.

The Russian Navy originally planned to put the ship back into service in 2022, but multiple accidents occurred during the repair, and the schedule was repeatedly delayed.

The "Admiral Kuznetsov" experienced multiple accidents during repairs. Russian "Izvestia"

In October 2018, Russia's largest floating dock sank, and the ship was damaged when the crane fell from the dock. In December 2019, a major fire broke out on board, resulting in two deaths and 14 injuries. In August 2020, the general manager of United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Rakhmanov, said that the cost of repairing the damage caused by the fire could reach as high as 350 million rubles (about 32 million yuan).

In late 2022, the ship reported another fire, fortunately without casualties. In 2023, the underwater part of the ship's dock repair was completed. That year, it was reported that the Russian Navy had begun recruiting crew members for the "Admiral Kuznetsov."

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