Overview

• Russian naval authorities have suspended all repair work on the 58,000-ton Admiral Kuznetsov and moved to decommission and scrap the vessel.
• The carrier’s 1,500-strong crew has been reassigned to combat roles in Ukraine, marking its removal from naval operations.
• Former Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Sergey Avakyants and other senior officers publicly endorsed scrapping the obsolete and costly ship.
• Repeated repair setbacks, including major fires in 2019 and 2022 and a 2023 emergency‐status assessment, left the hull too damaged for safe operation.
• The Navy will reallocate funds and personnel toward developing unmanned vessels and robotic aviation amid ongoing resource pressures.