The Russian government is considering whether its remaining aircraft carrier, which has been plagued by a deadly fire and costly repairs, is worth keeping.
The Cold War-era Admiral Kuznetsov could be scrapped after an overhaul that began in 2017 was later abandoned, according to the Kremlin-owned Izvestia newspaper.
Opinions are divided about the fate of the Russian flagship, with some officials in Moscow calling it indispensable to the nation’s defense and others considering carriers to be relics in modern naval warfare.
Retired Adm. Sergei Avakyants, a former commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, told Izvestia that the vessel isn’t needed even if it’s modernized.
“The aircraft carrier is already a passing era — a huge, expensive structure that can be destroyed in a few minutes with modern weapons,” he said. “The future belongs to the carriers of robotic systems and unmanned aircraft.”
Russian Navy Capt. Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia that aircraft carriers still have a role to play on the naval battlefield despite the development of unmanned systems.
“The fact that now many countries, including India and China, are developing an aircraft carrier fleet suggests that such ships are needed,” he said. “We have manned naval aviation. That is the elite of aviation.”
A fire broke out aboard the ship in December 2019 when a spark from a welding incident landed in an area where fuel had been spilled. Russian authorities said two people were killed and 14 injured. Repair work from the fire was estimated at $4.5 million, according to Izvestia.
The Kremlin is weighing whether repair costs could be better spent on its war against Ukraine. Moscow has reportedly formed infantry units out of Russian sailors who had been assigned to the Admiral Kuznetsov.
