Russia is preparing to permanently retire and scrap its lone aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, after a series of costly mishaps and stalled upgrades, according to reports from Russian media outlet Izvestia. The vessel—plagued by fires, maintenance failures, and technological obsolescence—has not been operational since 2017 and now sits idle, incomplete, and possibly beyond recovery.

Sources cited by Izvestia said the decision on whether to resume the restoration project or decommission the ship entirely rests with the Russian Navy’s Main Command and the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC). That verdict is expected soon.

Once a Flagship, Now a Liability

Commissioned shortly after the Soviet Union's collapse, Admiral Kuznetsov was once intended to anchor Russia’s global naval presence. However, the ship became a symbol of dysfunction in Russia’s military-industrial complex. Its sole combat mission, a 2016 deployment off Syria, ended in failure when multiple aircraft were lost due to malfunctions on the carrier’s flight deck.

The situation worsened in 2019 when a welding accident caused a massive fire on board, injuring 14 personnel and killing two service members. The blaze spread across 500 square meters and took nearly a full day to contain. Since then, photos from 2024 show the ship still moored and undergoing incomplete repairs.

Strategic Consequences

Former Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants recently questioned the relevance of aircraft carriers altogether. “An aircraft carrier is a relic of a bygone era… It could be destroyed in minutes by modern weapons,” he said.

If Admiral Kuznetsov is scrapped, the Russian Navy will be left with no carrier-based aviation—a sharp contrast to NATO’s modernizing naval forces and China’s expanding carrier fleet. The potential decommissioning also highlights broader issues in Russia’s shipbuilding sector, which remains hobbled by sanctions, financial constraints, and outdated industrial infrastructure.