Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, may be headed for the scrapyard after decades of disasters, billions squandered, and a final, humiliating admission that even the Kremlin can no longer keep this floating relic afloat.
At a Glance
- Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, faces imminent scrapping after years of failed repairs and catastrophic mishaps.
- The ship’s overhaul was halted in 2025 after fires, drydock accidents, and endless delays, with no significant work done in over a year.
- Russian naval leaders now say classic carriers are obsolete, too expensive, and sitting ducks for modern missiles and drones.
- Scrapping Kuznetsov would end Russia’s membership in the “carrier club,” leaving the U.S., China, and India as the main naval air powers.
The End of a Red Navy Relic
Moscow’s flagship, the Admiral Kuznetsov, spent its last years as little more than a punchline—smoking, breaking down, and catching fire every time it left port. The carrier’s modernization, begun in 2017, was supposed to rescue the ship’s reputation and restore Russian naval pride. Instead, it turned into a bottomless money pit, plagued by a deadly fire in 2019, a drydock disaster, and chronic technical failures that made even the most optimistic admirals shake their heads in disbelief. With the Ukraine war draining the Kremlin’s wallet and credibility, the Russian Ministry of Defense has reportedly thrown in the towel. Officials and independent analysts agree: the Kuznetsov’s days are over, and the only question left is how soon the scrap merchants can drag her away.
The ship, which last saw action in Syria in 2016—where it managed to lose two jets without enemy action—has been idle, incomplete, and crewless since at least 2023. Photos show it moored, rusting, and unfinished, while reports confirm that no real repair work has been done for more than a year. The Kremlin hasn’t made it official, but every credible Russian and international outlet is reporting the same thing: the carrier is done. After nearly four decades of false starts, disasters, and wasted rubles, the once-proud symbol of Soviet might is now a monument to government incompetence and the folly of throwing good money after bad.
Why the Kremlin is Giving Up
Russian naval leaders have finally admitted what everyone else has known for years: classic aircraft carriers are obsolete, ruinously expensive, and, in the age of hypersonic missiles and drones, about as useful as a battleship at the bottom of the sea. Admiral Sergei Avakyants, a former fleet commander, made it clear—carriers can be destroyed in minutes, and Russia doesn’t need to keep up the charade. Even official policy documents call for carrier groups, but not a single ruble exists to fund such ambitions before 2030, thanks to the war in Ukraine and the economic collapse that’s followed. Retired officers and independent experts agree: the future belongs to unmanned systems, submarines, and amphibious ships, not lumbering behemoths that spend more time on fire than on patrol.
The United Shipbuilding Corporation, tasked with the carrier’s overhaul, is at the mercy of the Defense Ministry’s budget cuts and shifting priorities. With mounting evidence that the project is dead, shipyard workers and naval aviation units face layoffs and lost contracts. Russia’s prestigious carrier aviation program, already reduced to land-based training, is finished. The Kremlin, desperate to save face, is pretending this is all part of a strategic pivot. In reality, it’s an admission of defeat—one that leaves Russia’s surface fleet with little more than memories and propaganda videos of Soviet glory days.
What This Means for Russia and the World
The loss of the Kuznetsov strips Russia of its last vestige of carrier power, putting it in the company of regional navies rather than global giants like the U.S., China, and India. For decades, the carrier was paraded as proof that Russia could project power far from home. Now, the navy will have to settle for amphibious assault ships and unmanned platforms—cheaper, yes, but a far cry from the blue-water dominance the Soviets dreamed about. Scrapping the carrier frees up billions for other priorities, but it also signals to the world that Russia’s days as a true maritime superpower are over. The move may be pragmatic, but it’s hardly cause for celebration in a country where naval pride runs deep. The United States, by contrast, continues to invest in its carrier fleet, projecting strength and defending freedom around the globe—something Moscow can now only watch from the sidelines.
For anyone keeping score, the story of the Admiral Kuznetsov is a cautionary tale in government waste, fantasy military planning, and the dangers of believing your own propaganda. The only thing more embarrassing than the ship’s litany of disasters is how long it took for Russian leaders to admit what the rest of the world already knew: you can’t build a 21st-century navy on the rusted bones of Soviet relics—no matter how many speeches you give or rubles you print.
